Never Forgotten
by Mechelle-VanPatten
Summary: This is a story about Marie and Scott and how they help each other in hard times. Some Romance as well and it gets Angsty a little later on when a couple of very important people return.
1. Chapter One

Summary: This is a story about Marie and Scott and how they help each other in hard times. Some Romance as well and some Angst a little later on when a couple of very important people return.

A/N: This is the first X-Men Fan Fiction that I have ever written I hope that you all enjoy and I love any and all reviews.

Disclaimer: Although I wish otherwise I don't own any of these characters.

**Never Forgotten**

She looked out her window and saw him; he was in the same place as he was every night at this time. It had been six months since Jean's death had torn into everyone's heart. And only two months since they had hired the new Doctor Hank McCroy, making everyone feel the lost of the beautiful red heads presents once again. The ones hit hardest from their lost of Jean was Ororo, Professor X, and of course Logan and Scott. Scott while though in obvious pain chose to move on, working and fighting in Jean's name, for what she had died for, the X-Men. Logan on the other hand, had left, not even able to promise that one day he would return. And it just two weeks ago Rogue had come to notice Scott's nightly routine of sitting at the fountain in the garden, he was usually there from midnight to around two in the morning. Over the months Ororo, Professor X, Nightcrawler and even Logan before he left had done there best to be there for him. And although Scott on the outside, during the day seemed to be getting better, it was this time at night, every night that Rogue saw different, she saw the side of Mr. Summers that he wanted no one else the see. The part of him that was screaming inside and barley holding on to what life he had left. She had been debating over the past couple of days if she should check on him, just to make sure he was ok, but she knew that he wasn't. He had just lost the love of his life and she was sure that nothing she could say or do would be of comfort to him. After all he barley even knew her, and if his friends couldn't help him with his grief, how could she? But sitting there watching him, night after night she knew now that she had to at least try. Scott was a good man, even though the Logan in her told her otherwise, and he did not deserve to suffer like this, at least not alone. So if anything she could at least sit beside him, just to let him know that he wasn't alone, that someone was there with him in the darkness. With that she slipped on her white slippers, pulled on her matching white silk robe and gloves before she headed out to the garden. It was a full moon so the garden was beautifully lit, and she was able to find her way to the fountain in no time at all. She turned the corner and saw him, his back to her and she just watched him awhile as he sat there with his head in his hands. She stood there a moment not quite sure what to say. Then slowly she walked over to the bench he was seated on and took the spot beside him. She laid a hand on his back and started rubbing lightly as she decided that if he wanted to talk he would, until then she would just let her presents tell him she was there when he was ready.

When he felt the soft hand touch his back Scott glanced up a moment and saw Rogue sitting beside him. He wasn't sure when she had got there but he was sure why she was there. She was going to tell him that everything was going to be alright, that time would ease the pain, she was going the give him the same bullshit lines that everyone else had the past six months. But they were all wrong, time wasn't healing the pain, in fact it was only making it worse. It was killing him, her scent was starting to fade from her pillow, the sound of her voice was starting to slip away, and the memories they shared were no longer filling his dreams, only to be replace by the nightmare of reliving her watery death. He was losing her more and more everyday and it was making it harder for him to breath. He waited, and after a good ten minutes had gone by and still Rogue had said nothing, Scott was relived, yet curious, so he had to ask. "So why haven't you asked me how I'm feeling, or told me that it's all going to get better?" He questioned her without even looking her way.

"Well, truth is. I already know your sad and in pain, so I don't need an answer on how your feeling. And who am I to tell you that it's going to get better, I can't see the future so why tell you something that I don't know is true." Marie confessed in her soft southern accent, pulling her hand from Scott's back and into her lap. She looked at him, with his face looking heartbroken and worn, if there was one thing she could give this man it was the truth and her mama had always told her that the truth can heal just as much as it can hurt, so why not give it a try.

Scott turned his head to look at the woman who was supposed to be only a girl. Sure she was eighteen, yes she was young, but those were the most mature words he had heard from anyone in the past six months. He was speechless, he didn't know how to respond to such an honest answer after having to put on a fake smile and assure everyone he was ok for so long. He was in pain and she saw it, in fact she had flat out called him on it. Not only that but she had also come out and told him that she wasn't sure it was going to get better or even go away. And it was there in that moment that Scott felt for the first time since Jean's death that he wasn't totally alone.

"And I'm not going to tell you I know how you feel either, because I don't. I mean sure I ran away from home, lost all of my friends and family, had to live on the street for months, got kidnapped by Magneto… died, Oh, ya and there the whole issue of never being able to touch anyone, and all of that was painfully for me, still is sometimes and I made it through it all, though I not quite sure how, but I did…Still working on the skin issue but that's not my point here. I guess what I am trying to say is everyone's pain is different, and it isn't up to me or anyone else, wither you are able to get over Jean's death or not. But it is up to me if I want to be here for you while you go through it and it won't do either of us good if you have to lie about the way you really feel, like you do with your friends. I'm worried about you sure. But you don't have to lie to me to make me feel better." Rogue didn't know where all of the words had come from. She knew she was a little nervous about talking to Mr. Summer's but she could believe she had just rambled on like some mindless twit. With that thought in mind she started to stand, when she felt his hand on her arm, to pull her back into her seat. She took her seat next to him once again and reverted back to her earlier plan to stay silent until him wanted to talk.

Sitting there a moment in complete silence with the young woman named Rogue beside him, he thought about what she had just said. After all this time he had prayed and wished for someone to understand, his prayer had finally come true. And although Rogue was the last person at the mansion he would have expected to get what kind of pain he was in, it was still nice to have her there beside him. Especially knowing that she wasn't going to ask him stupid questions or try to make him feel better by saying things that weren't true. "Thank You." He said not knowing what else to say, since her gesture had meant more to him than he could put into words.

Rogue nodded her head and they sat there in silence for another hour. It would become a route of theirs. Every night same time, same place, they would sit in peace together. Not a word spoken between the two, her giving him the comfort of knowing he wasn't alone and him being grateful for her presents and understanding. Then after two weeks for just sitting in each others company, something happen that had actually kind of shocked them both, he started talking.

"You know it was here that we shared our first kiss." Scott had stated remembering the way Jean had shyly blushed for days when she had looked at him for days after it had happened. "She was rambling on about something that had to do with a documentary she had watched and I really don't know if I did it more to shut her up or because I couldn't wait any longer to fill what her lips felt like against mine. But it was one of the few impulsive things I have ever done in my life, one of the best too. I just grab her, pulled her to me, and laid one on her." Scott could help but smile at the memories of Jeans reaction, she had kissed him but after it had happened she had just picked up where she had left off in her rambling.

"I wish I had thought of that when she started her rambling lectures in our biology class. Although I'm sure she wouldn't have liked me kissing her as much as she did you." Rogue said playing, getting another smile from him. It was really nice to see him smile, not one of those fake smile that he gave the others but a real smile. "Actually I think anyone would prefer you kissing them rather than me… you know with me it's all with the death and horror. I can honestly say I bring a whole new meaning to the words sucking face." She let out a giggle to let him know she was still kidding. She wanted to keep his sprits up as much as possible and if helping him meant she had to make a few cured jokes so be it. With all the Logan in her head it certainly wasn't that hard to do.

"I am pretty sure there are quite a few people who would disagree with that." Scott joked back with her, turning his head to meet another one of her smiles with his own. Looking at her, she reminded him somewhat of Jean. They both had a smile that could brighten up am entire room, and their laughter was like music. Scott suddenly realized why Logan had vowed to protect her and even put his life on the line more than once to save this lovely young woman sitting next to him. She was remarkable.

"You know, the one thing about Jean that I always admired was her grace. She always knew what to say, when it needed to be said. If it wasn't for her I don't think I ever would have given Bobby a chance or anyone else for that matter." She paused a moment and turned her head to look Scott in the eyes again. "She told something I'll never forget and will always be grateful for. She said to have a life, you have to live it. It's funny how a few little words can mean so much. But they did, they still do. And even though things didn't work out for Bobby and me, I still wouldn't trade anything for the memories we had together. Memories are funny that way, you know, they can either save you or kill you. You just have to choose which one." For the first time in a long time Rogue saw a clam come over Scott's faces, something that hadn't been there since Jean had died. He needed this to be able to talk about her, and with everyone else trying so hard to get over there own grief of Jean passing any time her name was mentioned it seemed the whole mansion became silent, like it was forbidden to talk about her, especially around Scott.

"You know you have that same kind of grace." He stated as he brushed back a strand of platinum hair out of her face. Looking away from her, he turned his head up to look at the stars and took a deep breath before looking back at the girl he had come to think of as his savior. "I miss her, I miss her so much."

"And you will always miss her, and that's ok. There is nothing wrong with you wanting her to be here Scott. She was apart of your heart and that is never going to change. But it is ok to be happy too. Just because you smile, laugh, joke, maybe even fall in love again one day, that doesn't mean that don't miss her any less than you do now. It just means that you understand that's how she would want you to miss her. She would want you to be happy, she always wanted everyone to be happy, it was kind of apart of her character, who she was, what she did, what she fought for." Rogue stood and held her hand out to him letting him know it was about time to go inside, he accepted and she helped pull him into a stand. Then she decided to add "Scott, I not saying that… that you have to happy to honor her or anything I just…." She was cut off as he held up a finger only an inch away from her lips to silence her.

"Your right, I know she would want me happy, and for her I will try. But don't except me to be a bed of roses anytime soon." He said jokingly. Her words had hit with a force, he didn't know why but it was almost as if Jean had sent Rogue to deliver the message. And she was right, he would always miss Jean, and she would always be apart of him. But it was time to start living the life that Jean herself had died to let him have. And just as Rogue told him that Jean had told her to have a life, you have to live it.

"Hate to break to ya mister but you were never exactly a bed of roses to begin with." She stated as they started walking back up to the house together.


	2. Chapter Two

Hello again. After a long wait the next chapter is finally here.

You can also find this fic on my fan site along with a few others at http/mysite. Thanks and remember I love all reviews. I hope you enjoy the new chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Never Forgotten - Chapter Two**

The night of Rogue's graduation Scott couldn't have been happier or prouder of the beautiful young woman he had come to know everything about. Well, maybe not everything but he knew more than anyone else in the mansion knew about her that much was for sure. He thanked God every time he saw her that she had walked down and sat beside him that fateful night at the fountain, just a little over a year ago. He didn't know how he would have made it through some of the nights without her to talk to. After that night they had no longer sat in silence during their nightly meetings at the fountain, at first all they talked about was Jean. How Scott had fallen in love with her at first sight, their first date, how Rogue didn't want to like Jean at first because of her crush on Logan, and how Jean ending up being like the big sister she never had. Their conversations slowly started to carry over into the day, first sitting together at dinner, and then eventually all three meals. Then after a few months the two seemed inseparable. And looking at her now as she danced with her friends at the after graduation party he couldn't imagine his life without her. She had become his new purpose in life, to protect and keep her safe, like the one that walked out of her life had promised to do and didn't. Logan, it was completely obvious to Scott that Rogue did have more than just a crush on him, even though when she talked about her feelings for him that was all she ever referred to it as, a crush. But you could see it in her eyes whenever his name spoken that the pain there was too great for it to have just been a crush, she had loved him. Just as Scott had loved Jean and together they trying to were finding a way to live without that love to guide them.

Scott sighed as he turned and walked out of the double doors to the patio that had been decorated with an abundance of lights and flowers for the celebration of the new graduating class. He looked up at the sky as his thoughts returned to a time when Jean was still alive; he closed his eyes as he breathed the night air deep into his lung. A sadness came over his face then as his thoughts sifted to what Jean would be doing if she where still here, how she would have only danced with him to the slow songs, and the blush that she would give him when he would rub the small of her back letting her know it was time to make there way upstairs. Then as quickly as the sadness had come across his face a smile had replaced it when he felt the soft touch of a hand on his shoulder, a touch so soft, gentle, and guarded that it could have only been Rogue's. Her touch was always so different of everyone else's, maybe it was because of her years of having to be so careful where touched was concerned. Or maybe it was because her touch was a lot like her nature so soft and loving to everyone she knew and care for, so gentle to every person both those she knew and those she didn't, yet so guarded to let anyone to close to her in fear of being hurt or hurting them. Turned his head to look down at the vision of beauty she had grown into this past year, what he wouldn't give to have a women like her. She was wearing a black dress made of silk, that fit snugly to every curve of her luscious body from the top of gown that started just below her throat with only a small dip in front to show off her collar bones all the way down to her thighs where the dress spilt on each side the rest of the way down to her ankles. Her hair was tumbling down around her shoulders in a messy sexy look and she had a pair of black silk gloves to complete the out fit that went all the way up to just about her shoulders since her dress was sleeveless. No necklace, no rings, not even a scarf just a pair of diamond stud earrings and stunning smile, which was all she needed. She was the embodiment of a perfect women as far as Scott was concerned, a classic beauty with porcelain skin, mature and wise beyond even his years, yet not afraid to enjoy life and do something silly or crazy just to make you smile. Yes who ever won the heart of the women now standing next to him would be a lucky man, not only because they would have Rogue but because they would have to meet Scott's approval first.

"So, watch ya doin' out here?" Rogue asked him with her usual southern draw. As she took in the sight of the man next to her, she could understand more and more everyday why Jean had loved this man so much. He was more than easy on the eyes, in fact he was a blessing to look at especially when he was hard at work, and contemplating a plan of action in his head on what he would teach at school the next week or how the next mission was going to go down. From the way his jaw would twitch when he was confused, to way he run his fingers through his hair when he was on the right track. But it was more than just the way he looked, truly there were no words for him. He was Scott, it was more than just his loyalty, honor, and friendship, it was the way he listened, how he told you to truth even if you didn't want to hear, the way he would hold you up if you needed him even when you don't want to admit it, and contrary to what most people thought the way he would make you laugh just to hear the sound. He was Scott, not just the Leader of the X-Men but her best friend.

"Let's just say, you can only watch Hank dance in circle for so long before you start to feel dizzy yourself." He joked as he nodded in the diction of the ballroom, where Hank was indeed still swinging his hips from side to side while turning circles. "Honestly I don't know how the man is standing, much less still doing that dance." He said with the sound of her laughter filling his ears. There was only one thing better than seeing that smile of hers and that was hearing her laugh.

"Well at, least he is having some fun." She stated in between her giggles, turning to come stand in front of Scott. "And that is more than I can say for you; so… we are going to do it right here… right now." She told him with her soft southern draw sounding more sensual than usual.

Scott felt his month go dry as he looked down at the vision before him, surely she wasn't asking him to do what just ran through his mind at the sound of her words. "What?" he asked somewhat confused cocking his head to the side.

"Dancing." She said with a smile across her face that reached ear to ear.

"No" he replied slowly shaking is head to reinforce his answers, as she started to debate the subject.

"Yeah… Yes seriously…come on nobody's around." she pleaded as she took his hands in hers.

"No.. I can't… I don't dance." he refused again trying not to look her in the big brown eyes that he knew would be his undoing.

"Well you do now." She said pulling him further out onto the patio.

"I.. I don't want to dance." He somewhat argued he with as he let her pull him.

"Oh come, you put one arm here. And then we just… Oh come on, I'm not gonna bite. Please Scott, come on. Just one dance." She begged him once again.

"Rogue I.." he tried to protest once more before she caught him by surprise.

"Marie." She confessed, finally getting him to look her in her eyes.

"Marie?" he questioned, knowing he was a goner now. He had made the mistake of looking her in the eyes, there was no way he was getting out of this dance now.

"Yeah, my real… my real name… it's Marie." She admitted, as she placed her arms around his neck and start swaying side to side as the music from the ballroom be hide them started playing Wild Horses by the Sundays one of her favorites. " With all you know about me I just thought… maybe you would like to know who it is your really talking to." She continued her eyes now down cast looking toward the ground.

Without realizing it he was moving with her, when she looked down he brushed a finger under her chin, to quickly for her skin to react but still getting her to move her eyes back to meet his gaze. Then with the same finger he ran it down one of her stunning white steaks. "Marie, I never would have guessed. But then again I don't think I could have ever come up with a name as beautiful as the lady." He all but whispered to her as a strange pull began to build and bought the two closer together. All his could think about was what those full lips when taste like under his, when it happened. The rain had started pouring down on both of them causing them not only to get drenched as they ran inside but to burst out in laughter.

"Well so much for that dance." She said so giggling at a now water down Scott in his black suit.

"Hey I danced little, you better count you lucky stars you got that out of me." He joked with her as he brushed aside a soaked white streak from her face. And then there was that look again, that soft, innocent, sexy look that could only come from her… from Marie and the laughter was gone.

"Well I just this is natures way of letting us know we should call this a night." She declared as she took a step back feeling that if she didn't leave now she would do something that might ruin their friendship.

"Yeah I guess it is." He said with a smile as he let his hand drop to his side.

"Good-Night Scott." She said taking another step back before turning to start making her way upstairs for the night.

"Good-Night Marie." Scott said as he watched her retreat before retiring for the night himself.

Later that night she heard him thrashing about from her room next door. She was a little surprised when she heard him because it had been so long since he'd had a nightmare like this that she had hoped they had finally come to an end. That hope now banished Rogue pushed away her warm covers, put her robe and gloves on, and then headed for Scott's room. She took a sit beside him on the bed, and started speaking the words that had always clamed and eased the nightmares away.

First he felt her hand on his face gently wiping his tears away before the words came. " Shhh…. Its ok Scott, I'm right here. It's ok." She whispered in his ear. " I wish I could tell you it's all just a bad dream but… well I can't… but I can tell that I'll be right here until this nightmare goes away. And eventually, eventually it will, Scott. That much I can promise." Her soft voice was left ringing in his ear and he could feel her hand rubbing his arm to let him know she was there beside him, but she was wrong this nightmare wouldn't go away and he was the cause of it.

He pulled away from her and sat up putting his feet over the edge of the bed and standing he walked over to the window and looked out into the darkness as the still falling rain beat against the glass in front of him. "You're wrong." He stated in almost a whisper.

Marie now standing garbed his arms and turned him around to face her. "Scott, your not making any sense. What do you mean I'm wrong? Wrong about what?" She had no idea what it was he was talking about but she had seen that look on his face before and it scared the hell out of her. The last time she saw that look was the night she had found him at the fountain broken, defeat, and ready to give up on life.

"You're wrong. Don't you see, my life is the nightmare and I created it. It will never go away." He said in a tight voice, as he brushed away her hands from his arms.

" Scott what happened to Jean… it wasn't your fault. She made the choice to go out there." Marie said as she looked up into the covered eyes, now understanding what he was talking about.

"Choice… You call that a CHOICE… being buried in a watery grave or staying alive to be here for the ones she loves. THAT IS NOT CHOICE ROGUE THAT IS FALIURE. I…failed to protect….her… I…" he dropped to his knees and for the first time since Jean funeral he gave in, and he covered his face with his hands and cried.

Seeing Scott like this shook Marie to the very core of her soul. She knelt down in front of him and put her gloved hand on his hands and pulled them away from his face and with her other gloved hand she placed on his cheek and lift his gaze up to meet hers. They both had tears falling uncontrollably and their eyes locked.

"Listen to me Scott..." she said her voice just above a whisper because that was all she could manage without it cracking. " You never in any way failed Jean. Scott… you don't you see.. She saved us… by letting her go you saved us." She pulled him into her arms and held him as tight as she could. And then he wrapped his around her in return. They sat there in the floor holding each other until no more tears flowed. And when she started to pull away Scott pulled her so close to him that she almost couldn't breathe.

"You can't leave me too… I need you… I need you to stay… Please, Marie, I'm asking you to stay." Scott didn't care at this point what it sounded like, what it meant, or what it was exactly he felt for her that was so strong he couldn't fathom the thought of what life would belike if she left. All he knew, all he wanted, all he needed was to hear Marie say she was going to stay.

"Ok… Scott… okay I'll stay." She said it so softly as she ran her fingers through his hair and down his back. And she stayed there in his lap letting him hold her, her rubbing his back and neck. And this time it was Scott who fell asleep in Marie's arms with his back rested against the wall. And just as Scott had always stayed by her side, she stayed by his and fell into her own peaceful sleep as they lay there holding on to one another, neither one not yet knowing why.


	3. Chapter Three

I know that chapters are few and far between but I hope you are still reading and enjoying the story anyhow, here is the next chapter.

THANKS TO:

**Baby12**- I am glad you like my work and I am hopeful that you will enjoy this chapter just as much as the others.

**Ashnan**- I believe that what Scott felt for Jean was very real and felt as a writer that I needed to stay true to that. However I am a huge fan of Scott and Marie so I didn't want to get too lost in the feelings he held for Jean either. I hope that I am giving a good balance and staying true to both Scott's character and his love for Jean, yet helping him move on. Any how I hope you are still enjoying the story as much as I love writing it.

**Rainwater**- I do what I can to stay true to the characters of whomever I am writing about, and I am very happy that you are loving my story.

**Harpiebird**- You need not wait any longer for here is the next chapter. I hope you continue to believe that it is a perfect story.

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Three**

"I had another nightmare last night… it was different from the other ones. And to tell you the truth I…." Scott spoke to Jean's head stone as he knelt in front of it, when her voice came from behind him.

"Scott… I haven't seen you here in awhile. Are you ok?" Ororo asked out of true concern for her friend as she put a hand on his shoulder. After losing her best friend Ororo would come to find Scott out here day after day, but after awhile it became a weekly visit then monthly, and for the past couple of months he hadn't been seen at all. She was happy for him, he was moving on with his life just as Jean would have wanted him to. And a lot of that was thanks to one of her now closest friends, Rogue. For some reason unknown Scott had felt he could only talk about his pain and lose of Jean with Rogue and she had never faltered to be there for him. But with Rogue away on her first real mission she would do her best to help Scott with whatever pain he was feeling now.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He said rising to stand next to her, his gaze still fixed on the name of his lost love.

"You know Scott, you can talk to me." She stated softly as she looked at him. "I know that something is wrong, I can see it in your face." She waited for him to start speaking, then after a few moments she was sure that once again he wasn't going to confide in her. "Well if you feel uncomfortable talking to me about it, please at least speak with Rogue. Because I can see that it is eating you up inside. I have known you too long to not understand that look you had on your face when I walked up." With that said she turned to walk away only to be stopped by the sound of his voice.

"Ororo…" he said turning to face her, she was right she did know him; she was one of his best friends. And he needed someone to talk to about this, someone who could actually talk back and tell him that he wasn't betraying Jean in someway. So all the while his eyes down cast Scott spoke to her about the dream he couldn't bear himself to tell Marie this morning after he woke up to her gentle words of comfort telling him everything would be ok. "After Jean died I started having these nightmares…well not really nightmares so much as living that moment over and over again. Not being able to stop her… and in the end… never able to save her. I watched her die ever night. And every night I couldn't save her."

"Scott it is common to be having these dreams… I know I have had a few my self." She confessed to him. "But you must know that there was nothing that you…"

"I know… I've even understood for awhile now that... she chose to do what she did…" he said remember the same words that Marie herself had said to him the night before. "It's just that I haven't had the dreams in quite some time now, and last night… it started out the same way it always did… but in the end. When I watched as the water was starting to come down on her. It… it wasn't her standing there…it was Rogue." He said her name in almost a whisper as the feeling of the same desperation washed over him, that he felt had the night before when he watched Marie get crushed by the huge amount of water in Jean's place. He cared for her, that much he knew had always known. But the moment he had opened his eyes to see her sitting on the bed brushing her gloved fingers through his hair last night, after watching her suffer the same fate as Jean, he was confused about how much her cared. He couldn't lose her, the very thought took the breath out of him. Yet he wasn't suppose to feel these things for Marie, these feelings had always been for Jean and Jean alone. And even though Jean was gone, and he knew she would want him to move on with his life. He still couldn't help but feel as if; he was betraying her in some way by having all of these emotions for Marie.

"I see… I can understand now why you would be so upset with as close as you and Rogue have gotten. Plus the fact that she was just sent out on her first mission today with only Kitty, and Jubilee…"As soon as Ororo got the words first mission out she watched a completely horrified looked come over his face. She could believe that she had just said that.

"Wait, what mission?" He said as he took her shoulders in his hands. "Ororo what are you talking about? They can't be out there on their own. Why wasn't I told of this?" He didn't wait for her answer on the matter but instead ran straight to Xavier's office.

Xavier could feel his anxiety from across the mansion so he was not the least bit surprised when Scott came barreling into his office demanding answers, with Ororo close behind. Missing the new student he had dismissed in the middle of their conversation only by seconds.

"Charles. Why didn't you inform me that we were sending the newest member of the X-Men on a mission alone? I am their leader. So shouldn't I have had a say in this?" he more stated than questioned Xavier. Really, what was he thinking sending Marie and two other rookies out to do a mission on their own; it was just like asking for disaster. Sure they had been training and had even went on a few missions with him, Ororo, and Kurt but they were still too fresh to just be out there on a mission alone.

"Scott, please clam down and take a seat so that I may explain." He had known that this was how Scott would react as soon as he told him about the mission due to his feelings for the young Rogue. And as soon as Scott took his seat he began to explain to him why he handled the situation as he did. "As I told Ororo, the girls have been ready for quite some time to go on a mission of their own. And before you get yourself even more upset than you already are I must inform you that it is only the pick up of some important papers for Hank on the structure of mutant DNA, nothing too dangerous. And they didn't even have to take the jet, just the SUV." Professor Xavier said in his always clam and assuring tone, watching a Scott's face was already showing signs of relief. "And as for the reason you were not informed. I, as well as Ororo and Kurt agree that it would be easiest not to worry you about the situation because of your protectiveness and attachment with Rogue. And as for Rogue not telling you about it, she was not informed until it was time to leave, as were both Kitty and Jubilee." Just as Xavier finished speaking the very SUV carrying all the girls drove by the office window and pulled into the garage. "And as you can see you need no longer worry for their well being, and I can assure you that all three girls are fine." Charles stated with slime on his face.

Scott rubbed his forehead with his hand, fighting the feeling of a coming headache that had started the moment he had found out that Rogue was out there alone with out him to protect her. Then looking back up he found Xavier coming around the desk to settle he wheelchair next to his own as Ororo let herself out of the office quietly, when out of no where he found himself saying, "Charles do you think I am wrong… for… for…"

"For falling in love with her?" The Professor continued for him as he laced his own fingers together and placed his hands in his lap. "No. In fact Scott there are a few of us who are quite delighted about the joy that you two have given each other, we knew it was coming. The two of you falling in love is something that from where I sit was expected and undeniable. Just as it was with you and Jean… She would want you to find that kind of love again, and I believe that you have found it with Rogue. So no my son, I don't think that you falling for her is in any way wrong, I think it's astonishing, a second chance that you should not denied yourself or Rogue." With that said and done Xavier patted Scott and the knee and started to move back behind his desk once again. "Go to her, I know you want too." He said tapping his head a Scott gave him a look of gratitude for his understanding.

"Thank You Professor." Was all Scott said as he paused to look at him before walking out of the office. Something had hit him sitting there listening to Xavier, something that he hadn't expected. He did love her, somewhere between being there for her and letting her be there for him, he had fallen in love with Marie. He would always love Jean but she was no longer the woman he pictured holding in his arms forever. It was…. Marie.

_**Meanwhile at the Med Lad**_

"Here you are Hank, singed, sealed and delivered." Rogue said with a smile on her face as she placed the large vanilla envelope in Hanks blue furry hand.

"Rogue, could you wait a minute I would love to have a word with you if I could?" Hank asked respectively as he pushed his small glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"Sure, what's up?" She said as she hoped up in the exam table with a somewhat confused look on her face.

"Well, I don't want to speculate at this point but let's just say that the papers that you just handed me are not only important for my research but also hold some answers to handling your mutation." He stated as he took a seat at his desk and began to look over the papers he had just pulled out of the envelope that had carried them. "Now as I don't want to get your hopes up to high, but with the kind of information that is in these papers, I am going need to know if you are willing to do a few test maybe even have some blood work done, things of that nature… I would not want to put you through anything that you are not willing to do. So… "Was all he got out before Rogue could no longer contain her excitement.

"Yes, of course I will, I would love…" She almost shouted in joy as she jumped from the table and run over to Hank, hugging him around his neck.

"Settle down now, settle down, and listen. I can't promise anything ok. But we are going to see if we can't get this to work." He said as he pulled out a bracelet from the top compartment of his desk. Then standing he looked down at her and gave her the finest hopeful smile, before saying "Ok, lets get to work shall we?"

"Let's" Rogue said grinning from ear to ear as she replaced herself back on the exam table she had just jumped off of only moments ago.

Six very long and somewhat painful hours later it was almost 10 o'clock, and even though both of them were hungry from missing dinner neither could bring themselves to stop. Feeling as if he had finally made a big break through this time Hank clasped the bracelet on Rogue's wrist for the fifth time since they had started earlier that day. Then turned around and picked up another worm with his furry fingers.

"Now, if it doesn't work this time Rogue I must insist that we stop for today." Hank said looking into her tried eyes. She was exhausted, and even though she would never admit to it she was also hurting. He had done quite a few series of test on her and even though she was as eager as he was to get this damn bracelet working, her lose of blood combined with all the other test were starting to take there toll and he couldn't let her continue to push herself any further. "Are you ready?" he said as he held the squirming worm above her hand.

Marie took a deep breath and said a small prayer that is would work this time, she knew she shouldn't have her hopes high as Hank had told her it could be months before they could get the bracelet he had designed to work properly, but she couldn't help but want her torturer of being imprisoned in her own skin to be over. So for the fifth tonight she closed her eyes and nodded for Hank to place the worm in her hand willing the little creature to continue to move and keep its life within instead of letting it seep into her deadly skin.

"It's working." Hank said in almost a whisper almost in shock from what he was seeing before him.

Marie's eyes snapped open as she looked down at the worm in the palm of her hand. It was in fact still moving and trying to inch its way up one of her fingers. Her eye's started to gloss over as she watched it continued to move. It had worked, she could touch, and she was free again. She then looked up at Hank as the tears started to fall from her big brown eyes. "It's working… I… I can touch again…." She said picking up the worm with her fingers and placing it on to an empty tray sitting by the examining table she was sitting on. Then she wrapped her bear arms and hands around Hanks neck pulling him into a hug that could have cut off a smaller persons air supply. "Thank you… thank you so much… "Was all she could get out in between her heart felt sobs of happiness.

"It's what I am here for my dear." Hank replied as he rubbed her back softly, with tears of his own threatening to spill over with his happiness for his friend's new found freedom.

"I don't know… Scott… I have to go find Scott and tell him everything." Marie stated more to herself than to Hank as she jumped off the table and headed for the door. Just before she exited she paused at the door and looked at Hank once more and blew him a kiss and another heart felt thank you, before she all but ran out the door to find Scott and share her enormous news with her best friend.


	4. Chapter Four

OK… So here is the next chapter. But I must warn all of you readers out there that this chapter has a NC-17 rating to it. Any ways it maybe awhile before I get to update again. So I hope that all of you enjoy and keep the reviews coming.

Thanks To: Raniatlw, Chica De Los Ojos Café, Natalia, and VanillaStrawberry, for their reviews I am glad to hear you are enjoying the story and I hope your love this chapter just as much as the rest.

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Four**

Scott had just settled into his bed, when he heard the door open before the lights came on. He wasn't in to greatest mood due to the fact that he still hadn't had a chance to talk to Marie yet. On his way out of the office Scott had been stopped by a couple of students having an argument and had to tend to them before her could resume his search for her. He had checked everywhere he could think of to find her, her room, the gym, the rec. room, the garden, the stables and even the pool where they would sometimes go to do laps and just relax. But he hadn't found her anywhere, hell she hadn't even come to dinner. So he figured that she must have gone out with Kitty and Jubilee to celebrate their first solo mission. But that mood was gone and replaced with fear and concern as soon as his eyes adjusted to the light and he saw her walking towards him with tears running down that stunning face of hers. He was up and out of the bed faster than he had ever been and met her half way in the middle of the room.

"Scott…" Marie said as she walked to him wrapping her arms around his waist, only to start crying once again into Scott's chest. Sure Hank was a great and she was very thankful for the gift he had just given her, but he was nothing when compared to the warmth and comfort of Scott's arms around her.

Scott put one arm around her waist as if to protect her from whatever it was that was upsetting her, and his other hand in her hair to give her the comfort she needed in knowing he was there for her. He then placed a reassuring kiss on the top of her head before he started talking. "Marie… sweetie what is it? What happened?" Scott asked in a sincere voice, as he pulled her back out of his arms just enough to look her in the face.

"This happened." She said as she lifted the bear arm that bracelet was now wrapped around. "Scott… it works… I can touch. I can touch again, can you believe it?" She asked with a smile that came from deep down within.

Scott nodded his confirmation to the question she had just asked him even though he really couldn't believe she could touch now. Then he began to think about what the professor had said earlier. He knew needed to tell Marie he was in love with her, but even though he wanted to he couldn't do it now. No he would wait, just a little longer. He wanted to wait until it the time was right _or maybe he was just afraid that she wouldn't return his feelings _he admitted to himself.

"Scott… you ok?" Marie asked as she turned her face upwards to look up at him. He had looked like he was considering something serious, which usually meant something dangerous and that terrified her. They way he was just looking at her made her feel a warmth spread all over her body the same way Marie had when he was lying next to her the night before, it feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time, not since Logan. They both must have noticed at the same time that they had been staring at each other because they both looked down simultaneously. Marie asked her question again this time with a little more demanding in her tone of voice, while still soft and filled with concern. "Scott… tell me what's wrong, please?"

"You know what it's nothing." He asked as he stared to walk away towards the door trying to avoid her questioning all together. "I didn't see you at dinner tonight. You want something to eat?" He didn't know how she had come to do it, but she could read him when no one else could, and that irritated him to no end. Simply because he knew that once she sensed something was wrong she never let it go, until he told her what it was that was bothering him. And just as he figured, she stopped him in his tracks to get away from the conversation she determined to have with him.

"Oh, no mister, we are not starting this again. Especially after what I just told you, there is no way you get to just shut down like that." She stated as she caught up to him then grabbed his arm so that he would turn around and face her. "So spill it Scott Summers or I swear to you I will take off this bracelet off and suck you dry."

"Marie I am happy for you I really am. I couldn't be more excited for any one else. But can we please just let it go ok." He said as he turned again and walked to the other side of the room only to face out of the window and look out over the nighttime image of the mansions gardens.

Marie now frustrated shrugged and started to walk towards the door but the unknown of what he was thinking got the best of her and she turned around yet again to look at Scott facing out the window. So many nights he had stood there like that just looking out over the mansion and she had never really had to wonder what he was thinking, until now. But she couldn't guess and worry all night that whatever it was that was bothering him might be the very reason that he would start pulling away from her. She put her both hands to her mouth as if to make and small prayer and then closed the distance between them. Upon reaching him she then put her hands on the shirt covered shoulder blades of his back she slid them down slowly where they then rested just above his pajama bottoms. It was only a moment later she remembered her now touchable skin and even though now touchable she couldn't help but still be cautious as she hesitantly wrapped arms around his waist, and laid her head on his back. "Scott" she started, then felling his hands cover hers, she had to stop and take a breath before she could continue with a steady voice. Holding on to Scott like this, even Scott holding her had become a natural thing in there time of grief after losing Jean after they had gotten to know each other. But when his hands touched hers so lightly, gently stroking them with the tips of his fingers like that, with his skin touching hers, it made Marie weak in the knees, touched her heart in more ways than one. And it wasn't just the contact of skin to skin that made her feel this way, because she had felt it when Scott had touched her before, it was the way he touched her. No, it was just simply his touch, and his alone. "Please don't push me away like this; I love you to much to lose you like this now." She said when her southern draw thicker than usual and near a whisper. Marie was shocked when she felt Scott's body go ridged. And then she realized that she had just said that out loud. _Oh good lord she had said it out loud, and Scott had heard her_. She stood there afraid to move because it was true; she had fallen in love with Scott Summers. She honestly had no idea when or how this had happened but it was true none the less. And she had just confessed it to him. Yet he said nothing. "_What an ass say something will you?"_ Marie thought to herself, then the thought hit her that maybe Scott didn't feel the way she felt. "_Wait, then again don't say anything," _she thought as she changed her mind.

From the moment Marie had put her arms around waist and relaxed herself against his back it took ever ounce of self control that Scott had not to turn around and taste her full luscious lips underneath his own. Then she said it, those three words, the same three words that he himself was unsure to tell the woman that now held him in her arms. He gently took her hands in his, still amazed that he could touch the perfect porcelain skin with his own. Then he raised them up to his mouth and kissed each one before he turned around to face her. He looked down at her soaking in all the gorgeous features she had to gaze upon. Her eyes locked with his, as if he wasn't wearing any glasses at all. Then it was back that gravitational strain, and it was pulling them closer together. Then with his lips almost touching hers they could feel each breathe the other made. It was then he thought _this is it, everything I never knew I wanted…_

She stood there his lips almost touching hers, she thought for sure he was going to kiss her but they just stood there for what seemed like eternity locked in a moment in time. Finally Marie feeling unsure started to pull away. That was when it happened; Scott grabbed her by the arms and forcefully pulled her back to him, and captured her lips with his.

Scott kissed her with all the passion and hunger he had stored up inside of him for almost the past two years now. Afraid that she would pull away from him again he held her body close to his but once he felt her arms circled around his neck he relaxed his hold on her and slid one hand into the velvet auburn tresses of her hair. God how he loved the feel of her hair in his hand, the feel of her body against his, the way their mouths melded together perfectly as if they had been made for each other. If he had never known what pure passion was in his life, he definitely knew it now. She sent waves of electric fire all over his body making him want to feel her more than another other woman he ever known. When his tongue slid into her mouth, hers was there to meet his, to caress back, to match his passion with that of her own. He felt like he was going to die from pleasure when he heard a Marie lightly moan after one of his hands had made its way to her breast and squeezed it gently.

Marie couldn't breathe, it was like being in a maelstrom of heat, longing, and frustration united in passion's sweet need for release. Time and place held no meaning in that erotic storm, just the two of them along with the need and love they shared. When Scott's hands slid down the length of her body to her hips to lift her against his hardness, she let out another moan of pleasure that seemed to break the spell they had both been under. He lifted his head and gazed down into her eyes. She stood there looking up at him, her hands now in his hair, fighting the urge to beg. "Scott…" was all she got out before he puts a finger to her mouth to silence her.

"For once Marie, don't talk." He said in close to a whisper with a smirk on his face.

Marie would have laughed if she'd had the chance, but he was kissing her again, his tongue delving deeply, and all she could do was hold on and try to keep up. They had somehow managed to get to the bed and Scott lowered her on to it and covered her with his body.

Scott couldn't stop kissing her, his need to taste her was still to strong, he had dreamed more than a few times what she would taste like and now he couldn't get enough. He also couldn't keep his hands from roaming for his need to know her skin as well as he knew everything else about her was too overwhelming. But soon it wasn't enough, when Marie grasped his buttocks and pressed herself against him, he let out a groan of his own. Unfortunately for him she was still wearing her normal abundance of clothing, so first to go was the scarf and shirt which was in seconds gone along with his own white tee-shirt, thrown to the floor with out care. Then with assistants from Marie their pants and underwear joined the rest of the clothing thrown about the bedroom in record time.

He lowered himself and took her lips again with his this time soft and longingly as one his hands moved up her abdomen, through the valley between her breast to rest on her neck with his thumb rubbing her face. He raised his head again to look down at her and caress her face with his eyes, soaking in ever inch of her, imprinting this moment in his mind.

She looked up at him with all the love she possessed and thought to herself _how could it be any better than this._ There was only one way life could get any better than this. She licked her lips and run her hand through Scott's hair and to his cheek before she said in a soft sexy southern voice "You know your my everything right… I want to feel you Scott… I need to feel you. "

It was only a moment before Scott gave in to her request and kissed her for all he was worth. He couldn't believe how silkily smooth she was, and she was so soft in all the right places. Her breasts were plump and firm, quite the hand full. And it wasn't long before his mouth worked it's way there, when he heard her gasp of pleasure it was like hearing the sweatiest music.

Marie could hardly breathe when his hand parted her legs and slipped between them. She nearly arched off the bed as his fingers started working their magic. Never could she have imagined anything so wildly thrilling as what Scott was doing to her.

One of Scott's hands moved and buried itself in her hair; and the other reached down to guide her legs around his waist, lifting her slightly he slid in her slowly enjoying every inch of her that she gave to him. When he come to the barrier that showed her virginity, he lay still for a moment and kissed the curve of her neck down to breast and sucked on her nipple. Then he felt her start moving in need causing deeper penetration and breaking the barrier, which ignited the fever in them both. He trust slowly at first making sure not to hurt her and as they become increasingly heated he quickened harder and fast letting Marie set the pace which seemed to matched his own hunger. She was nothing short of miraculous as she opened, took and gave back.

It was more thrilling than anything Marie could or had ever have imagined, for the maelstrom of intense pleasure that he was giving her burst into unrivaled bliss. And he was there with her every step of the way holding her, lengthening it, filling her, and guiding her gently back. "Oh god, Marie" She had even vaguely heard him groan against her neck.

They laid there wrapped in each other when he felt her as she stretched beneath him. How sinfully enticing she was, she made all the right moves, and just when he thought he couldn't handle anymore she would moan in pleasure and make he feel like he was going to lose all control. He brushed a lock of white hair out of her face and a sound of pleasure purred deeply from her throat, as one of legs came up to rub sensuously against his back. Scott closed his eyes to feel her touch alone, if this keep up he would never leave this bed again. She was so delicate, so beautiful, so perfect; there was nothing about this woman that he didn't love.

Marie sighed into his chest as she nuzzled against him, not the least bit worried about what was going to come after this. In fact, even if he didn't love her she was going to love him until the day she died for the tender side of him that he had just shown her. And for the first time she was there with Scott and well… speechless.

"Marie…" Scott said as he looked up at her.

"Hold on… The one time I have nothing to say, and you talk?" Marie questioned playing with Scott as she smiled up at him.

He stared at her hard with a serious face with his intense gaze focused on Marie and swallowed hard.

Marie was suddenly scared of what it was he was about to say but nothing could have prepared her for what Scott said next. "Scott…"she said a she started to tear up now terrified that he might think this had all been a mistake.

Scott bent his head and kissed her fore head, then looked her in the eyes. Marie meant more to him than anyone ever had, with one exception and all he could do now is hope and pray the he never lost her the way he did the other. "I love you, Marie" Scott almost whispered as he gazed at her. Her tears were now flowing again for the second time tonight as he wiped one away and then kissed her cheek where it had been.

"I love you too, Scott…. I love you so much." Marie barely got out as she hugged him tightly to her.

After a couple of minutes of silence Marie looked at Scott, smiled and then giggled. Scott looked at her and smiled before his curiosity got the best of him. "What?" Was all he asked.

"Nothing… really…" she gave another small laugh "I just… I never thought you… would be the soft and gentle type, I uhh, had you pegged more of the rough and bondage sort of thing... with as organized as you are I figured that all that pent up frustration had to be let out somewhere."

"No. No, I don't, I don't use those until the third or fourth time around." He said seriously, with a slight smirk on his face, causing Marie to burst into laugher. "Yeah you keep laughing, you'll see." He said jokingly all the while thinking how nice it would be to tie this one up and never let her go.


	5. Chapter Five

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Five**

"Ok you. Get ready, we are going out tonight." Scott said as he slid his arms around her waist from where he stood behind her. Then he kissed the curve of her neck gently as she gathered all of the papers together that she had just finished grading, before locking them in to the top filing cabinet beside her desk. It was only her first week as a teacher at the school but she loved the job and it showed.

"So where are we going?" Marie asked as she ran her hands over his and leaned back into his embrace taking pleasure in the emotion that always overcome her when she was in his arms.

"Well if I tell you, you might not want to go." Scott said into her ear with a smile.

"Scott Summers, you should know by now that I will follow you anywhere." She smiled up at him, letting her very soul shine through her eyes. And she would, if he walked through fire and needed her beside him she would be there. The same way he had never failed to be there for her. She wasn't sure when exactly it had happened or how, but Scott Summers had become all she needed to survive in this life and be happy. "So guess this will kind of be like our first date…I'm… I'm going to go… go get ready." Marie said in between the little kisses he was raining on her lips. As she started walking up the stairway she couldn't help but laugh a little at the situation. Here they were living with one another for almost three months now, yet this was going to be their real first date. When she reached the top of the stairs she turned her head to look back at Scott feeling his eyes still on her, and the smile that he gave her made her wonder how anyone could not love this man. He was the most honest man she had ever known in her life, in every sense of the word from what he said to how he acted. He never played games, or made her wonder if he really meant what he said the way Logan had. The whole time Marie took to get dressed it was all she could think about, Scott and their future together. Together, ever time the word went through her head she couldn't help but get a silly grin on her face. She looked at her self in the mirror and nodded in approval, at her appearance. She had chosen a cream colored silk dress came down around her ankles, with a fairly low curved neck line and a plunging back that hung down just above her derriere. She had decided to pull her hair up in a tussled look with a few platinum stands lose framing her face. For jewelry she had selected silver necklace with a single princess cut diamond and a set of earring to match. And of course she wore her bracelet that she kept on almost at all times now, except when on missions. She had heard him come into their room to change sometime ago and knew that he was probably waiting down stairs for her like a gentleman. And although she had taken some more time the usual to get ready, wanting this night to be perfect, she knew he wouldn't be angry.

"Ok, I'm ready." Marie said as she walked down the stairs towards Scott, he was wearing his black suit, with a baby blue shirt and as usually was more handsome than any other man Marie had ever laid her eyes on.

"Well then let's…" Scott was frozen by the beauty standing before him. She was a vision, he had never imagined what angels must look like, but now he would never need to, for there was one standing right before him. He had found an angel on earth, she was his. How he had gotten so lucky as to have someone like Marie in his life, especially after having someone like Jean, he didn't know, but he would never take it for granted that he was sure of. "Marie… you look…" he couldn't find the words, because there were none.

"You too." Marie returned the complement, sure he hadn't said anything, but the way he was starring at her now she was sure that he liked what he saw. They stood there for what seemed like an eternity, each memorizing the other, until this moment was forever burned into their minds. Then she felt his hand on her face, and she leaned towards him. Her lips brushed over his, only to come back once, twice, and then settled there for a gradually deepening kiss. The fact that they were supposed to be going out became nonexistent, thinking impossible, with such pleasure clamoring for notice. When a voice clearing their throat filled the room, reluctantly they pulled away from each other and to see who it was. They both smiled like school kids getting caught by the principle when Professor Xavier was spotted sitting not more than five feet away form them next to his office doors.

"You two kids have fun tonight." Charles said with a look of happiness on his face that hadn't been there in quite sometime. Something had been bothering him lately though he refused to admit it.

Scott nodded, and then looked back at Marie as if to tell her he was sorry he had made plans to go out tonight after all. Marie gave him a smile of understanding, he didn't know how she did it, but she always seemed to know what he was saying or thinking without him have to ever say a word. With that they left arm and arm, while the professor watched them make their way out of the mansion with a look of sorrow now upon his face.

She was there… It was her, he could smell her, see her beauty, and almost touch. "Marie." he said as his fingers curled into two tight fists and remembered the way her soft body had felt against his. All the while as she kissed him, it was all he could do not to gut the son of a bicth when he heard him say her name, her real name. And now as he watched the bastard kissing her he felt his claws coming out slowly, so there was no sound to alert the prey that they were about the meet their fate. But before he had a chance to move there was the sound of a voice and then they were gone. He had always known that she was his that they were meant to be. It had been two years now since he had looked upon her since that night he had left. But now he was back and even though the last thing he expected to see was that she was with HIM… Scott Summers, there they were arm and arm. He knew was going to get her back; he had already gone too long with His Marie.

**_Flashback To Two Years Ago On The Night He Left_**

Logan had heard her crying, and instantly went to her room to save her from whatever nightmare of his or some else she was reliving, it was never her own. As soon as he walked in the room and saw her standing there in nothing but a towel with her hair damp there was nothing he could do. The Wolverine in him was let lose at the site of his mate looking so willing. He walked straight over of to her and grabbed her bare arms with his gloved hands and went in for the kiss. Then suddenly he stopped deciding to wait, he needed to tell her the truth, and he was too impatient to "teach" his Marie that her place in this life was to be his. Sure Logan had been attracted to the lovely Dr. Jean Grey, but he had always known that it was Marie that completed him. She had been his savior from the lost lonely life he seemed to have been doomed to. But it wasn't until the lost of Jean that the Wolverine inside of him started to demand he take claim to his Marie before it was too late. Before he lost her and couldn't bring her back.

"Logan… what are you doing?" Marie asked Logan with fear in her voice, as a look of worry washed over her face. Why did he just try to kiss her, this should have been the happiest day of her life, she had waited so long to have Logan want her like this, but there was something in his eyes. Something dark and shadowed, something that made her shivers in fear.

"You know that I love you." Wolverine said confessing everything, he knew his Marie and that would be the first thing she would question after he marks her forever, and then she would try to leave. But he had to make sure that couldn't happen, he would never let her go, for eternity she would be his now.

"Logan?" Marie asked in barely a whisper, questioning if it was really him standing here in front of her still looking into his eyes.

"I can't do this holding in a secret. You need to know the truth." He started as he, watched her face start to show fear. But it didn't make him waver the slightest in his resolve; she had known there would be consequences if when she took his tags, and now she was going to have to live with them. And for that reason he really didn't care about the pain she was going to go through.

"What secret? What truth?" Marie asked now with some what of a shaky voice.

"When I am not with you I ache for you. And I always will, our beings are chained and united for all time and I have sworn never to let go." He added now seeing the tears now running down his Marie's face, making him momentarily unsure of what he was about to do.

"Logan? Please you're not making any sense." Marie said with tears steadily streaming down her face, touched by his words of love, but more scared and confused now than when this had all began.

"But you need to learn. There are consequences for your actions. And now there's a price to be paid." Wolverine stated.

"I don't understand… what actions… what price?" she said as she looked down at her hand holding his, now certain that this was something she didn't want to hear.

Lifting his right hand to her chest were the tags had rested against her when she had wore them Wolverine continued, "When you took my tags… when you took my tags, and you made sure that I would come back for you…. Do you remember that Marie? Making me promise to come back for you. "

"No. I didn't make you promise I…" she almost whispered in disbelief, as her heart started to crumble, tears still rolling down her face. He wanted to repay her for making him come back here, for taking away his freedom.

"But you did Marie, It was an unspoken promise but one never forgotten none the less" He said moving behind her and wrapping his arms around her, only to keep her there with him, not to comfort her from the pain she was already feeling. After having his arms gently but securely around his beautiful mate he went on "A promise so strong in your heart that I heard it in mine." He said in her ear, placed a kiss atop her heard.

Marie felt her legs getting weak, her head was spinning, her body was shaking, and heart was shattered, as she watched one of his nine inch adamantium claws slowly unsheathed itself from his right hand. He was… god she couldn't even think it, it hurt so badly. "I'm…. I'm sorry I just..." She said thinking out loud in a quivering voice.

"No! No your not sorry... you wanted me, you still want me. You will always want me just the way I want you. " Wolverine replied as he brought her hand left to his mouth and kissed it lightly to quick for her skin to react, then replaced back around her delicate waist. "And now that the promise has been made, now that that you are mine… I have make sure that everyone knows who it is you belong to."

"No, Logan….no… Please… you don't have to do this" Marie cried softly as she started to crumble to the ground her legs unable to hold her any longer as she watched him raise his unsheathed claw to rest upon where her heart was beating. Then slowly he applied pressure puncturing her skin and causing blood to flow. "Logan… Please…" she sobbed to shocked to be able to move as she felt the burning pain of where his claw started to slid down her.

Logan didn't know if it was the smell of her pain or the smell of her blood that cause him to come to. But to look down and find blood being drawn from her at his own hand, while she begged him to stop was more than just terrifying. He instantly retracted his claw, gathered her in his arms and carried he to the bed. He looked her over to find that he made a good gash three inches long above her heart. Although it was nothing life threatening he pulled at his glove and reached for her face, but stopped when she flinched away.

"Don't… don't touch… touch me." She said in between heart wrenching sobs. After all of this, after he deliberately cut her with his claw. Marie still was unwilling to let him get hurt by her skin, even if it was to undo the very damage he himself had done to her.

"Marie… I… I…" there was nothing he could say, and after what he had done to her has wasn't surprised she didn't want him to touch her. So healing her was not an option either. He had hurt the one person, who had truly loved him for no reason. Why… Why would he? He couldn't remember. But he wouldn't let him self do it again. With that he stood from the bed and walked to the door, he only paused for a moment on the way out to say "I'm sorry." And then he was gone, out of the mansion, out of the state, out of Marie's life so that he could never hurt her again.

_**End Of Flashback And Back To Present Date**_

He had never wanted to come back again after the memories of that night had resurfaced to him mind. Because he knew, he knew that the Wolverine in him was right, she was his and his alone, and all it would take was one look at her to be reminded of that fact. And after seeing her with that dick tonight he had confirmed what he had already knew to be true. He had to reclaim her as his own. And nothing short of dying would stop him.

"I know you are there Logan you can come out now." The professor stated as he turned to face the shadows behind the stairs where he knew Logan had been hiding.

"So, what the hell is so important Chuck that you had to call me all the way back here to see that?" Logan said in almost a growl as he walked out of the shadows to stand beside the old man in the wheel chair.

"Despite what you may believe Logan, I didn't call you here to prove to you the Rogue was indeed happy with Scott. Although I do hope that since you did happen to see them together that you no longer believe she is with him out of pity." Charles said as he turned his chair towards his office and made his way in motioning for Logan to follow. "If you would please shut the door."

"So why the hell did you call me back for?" Logan asked now a little hot tempered at the fact that he had just proven his point. Marie was happy, truly happy, and it hurt more than he could imagine because he was not the one making her that way. Someone else had taken his place, and he had sat back and let them for fear of the Wolverine in him hurting her again. And of course the one man to take his place had to be the Dick, Scott Summers. The good guy Jean had called him, the only man he had ever lost anything to.

"Logan, I fear I have made a discovery that will change all of our lives as we know it." He then paused and gestured for Logan to have a seat. Once he was seated in front of him he continued. "I was working with Cerebro few days ago the same day I requested you to come back. For a week now I have been tracking a mutant… A mutant wee all know to be dead. Her signal is strong and unmistakable and near Alkali Lake where she was last seen." Charles let a slow shaky breath, as he watched Logan face change when the realization hit him.

"Jean." Was all Logan could get out of his mouth. "How?"

"I don't know Logan. But I am positive it is her. As you know a lot of things have changed around here. So we must be careful with this information until we can fully understand the situation. What I would like you to do is to go to the last place I located her signal and see what you can find there. Then report everything to me." Xavier handed Logan the map and location of where Jean's signal was last spotted.

Logan flipped through the information that Wheels had given him and then stood. "I'll leave right away." Was all he said as he headed for the door.

"Logan, I know what you thinking. And you may be right. Jean coming back, it will have an effect in Scott and Rogue being together." Charles took a breath and pushed back the same feelings of sorrow that he had been fighting the past few weeks for all of his children. First for Logan for not having the strength to stay and tell Rogue how he really felt which may caused him to lose her forever. Then for heart breaking decisions Scott was going to have to make when Logan returned with Jean. Next was for Jean who sacrificed so much for all the people she loved only to be given so little hope when she finally returned. Finally for Rogue who seemed to only live a life of being left by the ones she so deeply loved, her friends, her parents, John, Bobby, Logan and now possibly Scott. "But I wouldn't get my hopes up to much Logan. Scott choice may surprise you."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Was all Logan said before he closed the door behind him not giving Charles another glance.


	6. Chapter Six

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Six**

Marie brushed the top of Jean's headstone as she walked by it only to sit in front of it and remove a couple of thing from the bag she had been carrying. Then she placed a set of fake white roses into the ground on either side of the stone angels that set beside it. When she was satisfied with how they looked she sat down and made herself comfortable and stared at her friend's name.

"Well, now you have some flowers that won't die, I can't believe that it has been over two years since you left us. I wish I could say that everything is better now, and I guess it is a little, but I think he still misses you too much to say that." Marie licked her lips and sighed "I don't think that I will ever be able to say that, but on the up side at least he isn't a silent basket case every second of the day even though there are still times when I can tell he is thinking of you. I uhh… I've always tried my best to explain to him that you died for all of us, the only problem is I can't explain something that I still don't fully understand myself." Marie's eyes were now full with tears as they usual were when she came to talk to Jean, but it helped her to come here and talk her hoping that she could hear her where ever she was in heaven. "The only thing I do understand right now that makes this ok for me… is that you are safe, you will never be sick, you will never feel any kind of pain… "Marie raised her hand and wiped the tears now falling down her cheeks "all you will ever know is love and happiness. I just… I hope that somehow you were the one who lead us to one another. Like you wanted me to give him the love that you knew he needed.. And… I know… I know that one day he going be with you again…. And you better be ready because… once he get you in his arms he's not going to let go for a really long time, maybe never." Marie couldn't help but smile at the thought, even though it broke her heart just a little. "And I'm ok with that, I just want you to know that I am thankful to you for giving us the time we do have together." She leaned over and placed a kiss on Jean's name. "We love you Jean, I will be back again to visit you soon ok." With that said Marie got up and made her way back up the mansion, unknowing of just how soon Scott was going to be reunited with Jean.

After their night out last week Marie had determined that it was her turn to make a little romance of her own for the two of them. So tonight she had ordered some dinner which he had set up nicely with some candles in their room. With that done Marie donned her first negligee she had bought that morning when she went shopping with Ororo. She had known she wouldn't feel comfortable in it, and she didn't. But who would after spending the last four years of their life covered from head to toe in order to protect everyone they loved. But she still stubbornly refused to take it off. It really wasn't all that indecent, well except for the transparency. But Marie had in all honestly seen dresses more reveling than what she was wearing now. The sides that hung only just above her knees were split clear to her hips, revealing more leg than she'd ever shown to anyone, with the exclusion of Scott. It was made of thin, soft sliver silk, sleeveless, the bodice in a deep V, the straps mere ties that could be undone easily.

"You look- beautiful." Scott said as shut the door behind him. It wasn't quite the words he wanted to use, but he could think of anything else after laying his eyes on her.

He was standing in front of her within moments, taking a lock of her long hair in his hand only to let is slid through his fingers.

"Absolutely beautiful." He repeated as his mouth went dry from the nearness of her. He drew her eyes up to his own gaze, and the look in the big brown eyes, so admiring, warmed him even more.

Scott being so close was starting to Marie to feel other things, the same feelings he always set in motion when ever he was this close. Hell even the smell of him, was thrilling to her senses. And she found herself staring at his mouth, almost willing him to kiss her, knowing how wonderful his lips felt against hers. How kissing him seemed to give her some kind of unexplainable peace. Then with his assistance the thin silk pooled at her feet.

"We will have to buy you more of those." He said with a husky voice as a hand moved up her chest to rest on the curve of her neck. "Many more." Then he raised both hands to cup her cheeks. " Do you know how much I love you?" He asked her softly, truly wondering if she knew how much she more she meant to him with every breath he took.

"Show me." Marie answered for him in a mere whisper. She didn't have a chance to get anymore than that out even if she had wanted to. Because no sooner than she said it he was kissing her, lovingly kissing her, parting her lips, his tongue dancing with hers. He moved closer as she gripped at the shirt that kept her from exploring his chest. He then lifted her in his arms, carried her to the bed and laid her gently there, dinner now forgotten.

Later after sharing such a magnificent experience with the woman he loved, Scott sat next to her watching her lay there, knowing there was no way she could know how captivating she was, with her auburn and white hair spread out over the pillow, her one knee bent just so that one slim leg peeked out of the sheet, those black-lashed, doe eyes filled with love all for him. And then eyes drifted to the small scar over her heart, and his finger followed running down the line knowing from previous attempts of questioning her, that it was something she didn't talk about. But even still he couldn't imagined her without what she thought of as a imperfection. Yes, he loved her imperfections and all. "Marie." He said drawing her eyes to his face. "Marry me."

Her heart felt as if it were going to burst, for a moment she thought she had fallen asleep and was dreaming, But the instant she felt his hand brush a stand of her hair away from her face she knew she was wide awake. "Scott… I… are you sure… I mean…" she started rambling as she lifted herself into a sitting position next to him. Then stopped when he put a single finger to her lips to silence her.

"After Jean died, it made me recognize how short and important time here really is... Time passes… and change happens wither we want it to or not. You were there for me… in a way no one else was after I lost her… You asked me questions… you made me think about things in a way I hadn't before. You understood me… you opened up to me… you trusted me… and I found my self trusting you too." Scott paused for a moment as he breathed in deep and lovingly pushed a stand of platinum hair out of her face. Then her reached around her and pulled her into the lap before he continued. "Next thing I knew I was looking forward to seeing you, I started thinking about you during the day. Then I realized I actually wanted to live… I didn't wish anymore that the next mission would my last… Marie, you're the reason for that. You're the person I want to be with, you're the one I want to love…forever."

"I never… I never thought I would hear you ask me to… to marry you. I mean after Jean… I just thought… I couldn't imagine you wanting to… to be married to anyone else… not that I cared about it I just…" Her said words failed her. She was still in shock that he had even asked her to be his wife. After all the pain he had went through losing Jean she was sure that she would never hear the words he had just said come out of his mouth. She had known Jean was his true love, and she was ok with that. So she had assumed the conversation they were having now would never come about. Yet here they were, and she couldn't help but think maybe he was doing this for her benefit.

"Well for a long time I didn't think I could do this again either." He stated honestly.

"What changed your mind?" Marie couldn't stop herself from asking, as the words fell out of her mouth.

"You. Our work. The things we do, there dangerous and that's not going to change, I know that. I also know that if I ever lost… lost you… it wouldn't matter what we were to one another; friends, lovers, husband and wife… It would kill me inside all the same." As Scott spoke to her just the thought of losing her caused a tightening in his chest. It couldn't happen, it wouldn't happen, as long as he still had breathe in his body there was no way he was letting this angel of his, out of his embrace.

"I know… I know what we do is dangerous… and it would crush me if I lost you… the way you lost her… But Scott, you don't have to do this for me. I am going to be here by your side and love you, regardless of wither we are married or not. You have to understand that." She told him in her soft southern draw.

"And you have to understand, that I'm not doing this for you. Sure I want to protect you, and do right by you. But I also want to wake up every morning with you in my arms, and fall asleep with you by my side every night. I want you to be my wife." He said watching as her eyes filled with tears. Then that smile, that soft sweet smile that he love so much was bestowed upon him.

"I want to be your wife too. Scott… I do. So yes. My answer is yes." Marie finally answered. She then grabbed his face in her hands and pulled his lips to hers as she left her tears of happiness fall.

"I'm sorry." He whispered against her lips, when the kiss had subsided.

"For what? Wanting to marry me?" She giggled.

"Uhh no… I uhh… I don't have a ring." Scott confessed as he lifted her left hand to kiss her ring finger.

"Well then it looks like you get to take me shopping." She said laughing lightly as she ran her other hand through his hair.

"When do you want to go… in the morning." He asked surprising himself at how eager his was to get a ring on his girls' finger.

"It's up to you… But seriously Scott, the ring it not important… I have you… your love… and that is all I will ever need." And it wasn't but a second after the words had rolled off of Maries tongue before his lips had found hers once again. Then when his lips began to move on her, branding a heated trail across her cheek to her neck, she decided to add. "See… now this is way better than any ring." This must have delighted him to hear apparently, if his expression was any indication.

**_Meanwhile At Alkali Lake _**

She still didn't know how she had gotten here. The last thing she could remember was the feeling of the water rushing in on her, pain of knowing that she would never see the people she loved again, see Scott again. The next thing she knew she was here, in this cabin, not to far from the very lake that she was sure she was going to die in. She didn't remember swimming to the surface, and she had no clue as to how she had gotten from the lake to the tiny one roomed cabin. All she knew was that she had been here for at least a couple of weeks now. She was trying her hardest to reach the Professor but with as weak as she was she was afraid she hadn't gotten through. Jean took another deep breath to clam herself, she was certain that they must all think of her as dead. Hell even she had been certain that there was no chance of survival when she had stepped off the X-jet. Yet here she was, bundled in some old blankets and living off of a small supply of water and canned beans that she had thankfully found in the cabinets of the old run down cabin. She had been using the little supplies she had found sparingly and if she continued to do so they would last hopefully another week. If she had to she would leave this place when that time came but there was small hope of making it very far with her left ankle bruised and swollen. Her best chance was to somehow reach the Professor, with that in thought in mind she cleared her head and put all of her strength into to reaching out to him once again. "Please, Charles please hear me." She whispered to herself for what seemed like the thousandth time today.

"Jean." Logan yelled from where he stood outside of the cabin, he could smell her sent strong here and although it had been a sent he hadn't smelt on over two years it was an unforgettable one. Still unsure of what he may find he thought it would be best to let her come to him.

Her heart stopped, her name, someone had called out her name. Or did she want to be found so badly that she was now hallucinating. She stood slowly being careful of her ankle and hobbled to the door. Slowly she opened it, to find none other than Logan standing right in front of her. Without giving him so much as a warning she threw herself into his arms. "Logan… oh god… it's really you… I can't believe it… "She mumbled into his shoulder as tears of joy spilled over.

"Yeah… I uhh… " Logan was at a lost for words, she looked the same as she had the day she had decided to give up her own life to save everyone else. But she was there that much was for sure and with as tight as she was holding him now there was defiantly no mistaking that. "How… how can you be alive?" he heard him self asking.

"I… I don't know… I thought for sure that was no way of surviving… but next thing I knew I was here and… god what you all must have gone through this past week…Logan what's wrong…" Jean asked as she watched his face pale to a pasty white. She was almost tempted to take a look and see for herself what was wrong, but after the last look she'd had inside that man head she wasn't to eager to go back in any time soon.

"Week… Jean…you were…I mean… you know what why don't we get you down to the SUV and we will call the Professor. He is waiting for word on you." Logan more of less ordered her. He wasn't sure what he should do. Hell he wasn't no shrink, if he told her she had been dead for two years inside of a week he had no idea what it might do. But old wheels would know… hopefully.

"Good… good, but you are going to have to help me. It seems that I have sprung my ankle… God Logan it is so good to see you…" she said as she give him yet another hug. "I can't wait to see everyone when we get home. Do you think they'll be surprised?" She said she giving him a smile as bright as the sun.

"Darlin' you have no idea." Was all Logan could reply in return, with that he put on of her arms around his shoulder and started the make his way with her back the SUV Xavier had given to him for the trip.


	7. Chapter Seven

**First I would like to start off by saying that this story is far from over. Next I would like to say that hope that all of the reading are enjoying it more with ever chapter. Next I will say that I love the reviews and to keep them coming. Now on with the story!**

**A Special Thanks To those who have reviewed.**

**Baby12, Ashnan, Harpiebird, Raniatlw, Chica De Los Ojos Café, Natalia, VanillaStrawberry,**** RKO,**** GottaLoveIt,**** BlackNightWolf04,**** Lily94,**** Samm16, ****TPolTucker,****Cysefin,**** Jupiterhime**

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Seven**

"Yes, Logan I will be sending Hank and Ororo in the jet to pick up you and Jean. They should arrive in a couple of hours. In the mean time I think it would be best to let me break the news to Jean about how long she has been gone…. Yes they have all been informed of that as well… No… No don't worry about that I will be sending along Kitty and Jubilee to drive it back. Yes… ok I will see you both soon… Oh and Logan… Thank you." When the Xavier was done speaking he hung of the phone with a sigh of distress. It was confirmed, Jean was alive. And while he was happier the words could express for her being found alive the effect it was going to have on Scott and especially Rogue would be devastating. But what scared him the most was the factor that Logan would bring into the already growing chaos of the twos life. Then with an unsteady hand he rubbed his already throbbing temples as he called Scott to his office. It was only ten minutes later that he heard a knock at his door. "Come in Scott… And please take a set. There is something very important that I need to tell you."

"I have some great news of my own." Scott said with a smile as he took his usual seat in front of the Professor. He and Marie had just come back for getting her engagement ring and he couldn't wait to share the information with the man he had come to think of as his father. "Rogue and I are getting married." He stated gladly.

"Scott… "The professor had started when he finally processed what it was the Scott had just said to him. He promptly bowed his head at what should have been the most excellent news to hear. Here he was a telepath, thinking that the situation couldn't get any worse than it already was and yet it had with out him getting the slightest premonition. He looked up at Scott with now sad eyes.

"Charles… are you… what's happened?" Scott asked suddenly going into fearless leader mode. He had seen these looks on the Professors face before and usual they involved the Mutant Registration Act or a mission that was imperative to the existence of all living mutants, which also meant dangerous as well.

"Scott, I have some very important information that I must notify you of. Unfortunately I fear I don't know how to give it except directly…Jean is alive… "Charles watched and waited for Scott to react to the knowledge of his though to be dead fiancée was in fact alive. But when no reaction came he decided to continue. "And she is on her way home as we speak."

"That's… that's impossible." Was all he could say as a thousands thoughts per second was running through his mind. He rested his head in his hands as he tried to slow his thoughts and understand what this all could mean. He knew that Charles would not tell him such a thing with out it being true and if the professor knew it to be true then it most assuredly was. Jean… Jean was… alive… that single thought alone brought a joy over him that was unrivaled, and in an instant he couldn't wait to see her, to hold her, to tell… Oh god… Marie…and as soon as her name came across his mind his gaze went to the professors: Wanting, needing to know, what this would do to Marie, how could he let her go, how could he not go back to Jean, how much pain would it cause Jean to know that he had loved another? The questions came one after another going as quickly as they came. "Professor… I …" He was at a lost for words his mind now drawing nothing more than a blank.

"I wish I could help, but this is something that only you can decide Scott. Although I must tell you that Jean isn't the only one returning home today…Logan will be returning with her." He could feel Scott fury as soon as he had said his name. He had expected this for Logan was the only man to ever turn Jean's eye's way from him and his new loves heart had once belonged the same man. And as sure as Scott detested Logan he knew Logan shared the same conclusion of Scott. How he was going to keep the two of them from killing each other was one of the many things now pressing on his mind.

"Why…is he with her." Scott asked with a low angry voice.

"Because I sent him to see if what I was picking up from Cerebro was in fact real. I too believed that it was quite impossible for Jean to be alive, Scott. But I just received a call for Logan not more than twenty minutes ago confirming that she is indeed alive."

"Why would you send him when I could have…?"

"I needed for make sure Scott. I didn't not want to give you any false hope; I hope that you can understand that… I also didn't want to worry Rogue… but it seems that is quite unavoidable now…" as he finished imagines of Rogue smiling and happy flashed though his mind. Life always seemed to be dealing her a bad hand and she always seemed to recover from it, only this time the professor wasn't so sure she would. "If you would like I can…"

"No… no I should…I need to be the one to tell her… I just… how am I suppose to…" he stood and slowly made his way to the door and for the first time in his career as the leader he knew what needed to be done, yet had no idea how to do it. Regardless, he wouldn't run away from it. Marie needed and deserved to know the truth and from him, even though he had no clue as to how he was going to answer the question that he was for sure to come. When he got to the door he paused and without looking over his shoulder he made one last request before leaving the office. "Will you let me know when she arrives?"

"Of Course." Charles simply replied, knowing no more could be said.

She hadn't meant to over hear their conversation, she wasn't tiring to ease drop to see what was being said between them. But she has heard none the less, she had heard the devastating facts that would fever change their life, her life. She didn't stand around to hear any more that was said and honestly she wished she hadn't heard anything at all. Jean… Jean was alive and she was coming home. Coming home to all the people she loved, coming home to the man she loved…Scott. The words haunted her replaying over and over in her head as she walked upstairs to their room in a silent daze. She took a seat on their bed, the same bed he had asked her to be his wife in just the night before, and lifted a picture of them together at the last school baroque. Jubilee had taken the picture without either one of them knowing, they had been sitting under the big willow tree, she was sitting in his lap as she usually did, and her head was resting against his chest as he had one hand in her hair and the other in one of her knees, and they were laughing at some silly joke he had made about professor head putting off more glare than the sun itself, it was a day she would never forget. She gazed at the picture as her chest tightened and her eyes filled with tears when she reached the realization, days like that, her time with him, it was over. She wasn't going to waste her time fooling herself she knew Scott loved her but this was Jean, his first and one true love. Marie looked around their room, as everything started to finally sink in. She felt it deep inside, she shouldn't be here. She had only had that feeling one other time in her life and this time she was going to leave before she was forced to go, maybe not forced but at the very least asked. Flashes of her parents handing her the green duffle filled with her clothes and what little money they were willing to give her flowed through her mind, as she walked over the her closet and pulled the same bag out from the top shelf and started stuffing her belongings inside of it as fast as she possibly could. To her surprise she was still able to fit almost all of her things into her cherished green bag. As she wiped a few tears away then reached down and slowly zipped up the duffle that now held what little life she had left, and she caught sight of the ring she was just given this morning by the man she was suppose to spend the rest of her life with. It was just as beautiful to her as when he slipped it on her finger only a few hours ago, yet looking at it now as she held her hand out in front of her it carried sadness to it, because she knew it no longer belonged there. She slipped it off her finger and her heart broke at how willing it slid from its place there.

"Marie, I…" Scott began as soon as she walked through the door and then froze as his eyes came to her bag packed and resting on their bed. She knew, and she was leaving. For a moment he couldn't breathe. Then he knew very questions he wasn't ready to answer weren't going to be asked, and somehow he was hurt by that. Again he looked bag at her packed bag and then turned he gaze back to her, and his heart broke at the pain he saw in her eyes. And even though it was obvious that she was leaving he could help but find himself asking her what he prayed wasn't true. "You're leaving?"

"Please, Scott… I can't… I can't do this. Don't make this any harder on me than… than it already is, ok… Here… this… this belongs to you." Marie could barely breathe much less talk at this point. Tears now cascading down her now pink cheeks, she held the ring out to him, and when he made no move to take it she turned and set it on his nightstand where their that she had packed in her bag had once sat. She then went back to her bag and lifted up off the bed, only to have Scott stride over to her and throw the bag back on the bed. Then putting both of his soft hands on each side of her face he pulled her gaze up to meet his own. She cherished the way his hands felt on her face, the way his thumbs brushed away some of her continuing tears, the way his palms cradled her cheeks lovingly, knowing that this was probably the last time she ever feel them there she tried to engrave to feeling of them in her memory. But at the same time his touched burned, she knew the longer he had her here the harder it was going to be for her to walk away. And although it pained her more than words could describe she knew that walking away now was the right thing to do. Because if she stayed and waited for him to leave her when he finally realized he wanted Jean, it was destroy her.

"Don't do this… don't…" Scott tired to plead with her, but he was at a lose for words. He wanted to promise her everything would be ok, that he would stay with her forever, that Jean coming back meant nothing. But he couldn't because he didn't know that everything was going to be ok for them, if there was a them any more. He wanted to stay with her forever, but truthfully he wasn't sure if he could. He wished his love for her was strong enough that Jean's coming home alive didn't mean anything, but that was wasn't true. Yet he was terrified of losing her, of watching her walk out on their life they had built together, of not waking up to her smile everyday. How can he ask her to stay with him, when he himself couldn't be sure that he wasn't going to leave in the end. So since he couldn't say what he wanted with words, he decided to beg her to stay with his touch. Lowering his lips to hers, he slid his hands down her neck to her back and pressed her body against his. He tasted the salt from her tears on her moist full lips and deepened the kiss willing her at the same time to stay.

Before she knew it she was lost in his kiss, the way his lips were moving across hers, he was showing her how much he loved her, the way she always asked him to. But this time it was different because no matter how he loved her, and she knew he did, he loved Jean more. And it was only a matter of time before… Cutting the thought short Marie put her hands against his chest and pushed him away, taking a step back herself to father the distance between them. "Forgive me… please… God Scott I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… but I can't… I… I have to be realistic here… don't you see… there's… there's no chance for us…"

"Why… Why would you say that… You know I love…" Scott started now infuriated by Marie words, only to be cut off by his young southern beauty.

"Yeah, you love me… I get that… don't you think I know that you love me…Well guess what I do… I know you love me… and I love you… but this isn't about us Scott." She started yelling in between sobs.

"Really…well, you sure as hell could have fooled me." He said in a sarcastic tone adding in a smirk to top it off.

"Don't you give me that look….you know… you know my leaving isn't about us… you know it's not… it's not about me doubting your… your love for me… it's… it's about knowing how… how much more… you love her." Marie was hardly even able to finish in a whisper, as she continued to sob uncontrollably.

"Baby… I…" Scott started as he took and step towards her and reached out to her again. Her words had cut him deep, deeper than she would ever know. Mainly because he knew they were true. Yet the fact that she knew it made it worse. He did love Jean, but he didn't love her more than Marie, and the fact that she thought that brought a pain to his heart. He loved both of them, and that was the problem. He didn't love one more than the other, he loved them both for the people they were, and how they made him feel.

"No…" she taking another step back swiping his hand away. "No… I … can't you understand… I don't want to leave… I have to… because if… if I have to watch… to watch you… choose her…I …" Marie tried to explain now gasping for air in between her words. The pieces of her heart that had already broken were breaking yet again; she had been hit, kicked, and slammed into by some of the strongest mutants in the world. Yet there was still no pain that come close the aching was feeling now, and it seemed to be growing stronger with every second.

"You know what… that's fine… looks like your more like your pal Logan than I thought…you want to run Marie… go ahead… I don't want anyone who's not willing to fight for us anyways…" Scott said as a rage greater than he had ever know came over him, when he realized she was going to leave any ways. No matter what he said, nothing short of tying her to a chair or the bed was going to keep her here. And the realization made him snap for the first time in his life. "I think you know where the door is." He delivered the final blow as he turned picked up her bag, and held it out for her to take, his face hard and devoid of any emotion.

She didn't know she could, but she started crying even harder when he more or less order her out of his room. She was frozen for a moment at his harsh words. Then her eyes focused on her bag that he now held out to her and she grab it with haste, not wasting any time she all but ran out of the room still in tears. **_"Rogue, please come to my office, I know what had happened my dear. And I must at least speak with you before you go."_** The professor's words filled her head as she descended the main stairs.

Scott slammed the door shut and locked it into place. Leaning his back against the door he rubbed away the now wetness on his cheeks. It was quite now, she was gone, and Scott looked at the desk and saw a picture of him and Marie, sitting happily together after a successful mission. Taking another look around the room it seemed to be the only one she had left of the two of them. It was a simple snap shot Kitty had taken with her camera, but Marie had been so excited about having a picture of them together that she'd had it blown up and framed. It had been their first picture together, when they were becoming close friends, before he had fallen in love with her. He pushed himself off the door and walked over to the desk. He picked up the picture and ran his finger over Maries face, tears started burning his eyes, and when it accrued to him that with the harsh words he had just spoken to her out of his uncontrollable rage he had probably lost her forever, he threw the picture across the room and watched as it shattered against the wall. Never in his life had he snapped the way he had just done with Marie, in fact this was probably one of the most heated arguments and harsh words he had ever said to any one, he hadn't even blown up at Logan the way he just had with Marie. He hung his head and walked over to the bed taking a seat, when her ring caught his eye. He just stared at it a moment as he remember how Marie had smiled when she had found this "prefect ring" , then picking up he let it rest in the palm of his hand. How could he have lost control over his temper like that, how could he have said those things to her when she was already hurting so badly, how could he have said those things to her at all, if she never forgave him he would completely understand why. She was really gone, and not only had he let her go, he had helped to push her out the door. _"God, how am I going to live with out her?" _was all he could think as he held on to her ring for dear life, letting the pain he felt inside him finally take over as he broke down and cried.

Marie walked up the same door she had knocked on for the past four years whenever she was having a problem, or being informed of a mission. Wiping the tears from her eyes she took a deep breathe and knocked on it for the first time this day. She heard him yell it would be a minute which was strange sense he usually replied with them to come on in.. When he finally answered the door she looked down at him and was glad to see he had concern written on his face, which was a good sign that maybe he understood why it was that she had done what she just did, and was about to do. "You said you wanted to see me Professor." She said choking back her sobs to try and sound as normal as possible. And before she knew it he pulled her into his arms and hugged her to him, then guided her in side as he shut the door.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Eight**

Time had froze, every second seemed to be more like an hour as Scott stood next to the professor as they watched and waited for the people aboard the X-jet to make their exit. All the while the short conversation that Scott and the professor had just had while the jet had landed repeated through Scotts mind. Xavier had informed him that Jean believed she had only been gone a few weeks, and that the professor was to be the one to break to news that her few weeks had been their two and a half years. Which basically meant a couple of things for Scott, one was that he had to be careful of what he was projecting, he had to find a way to hide his heartbreak over losing Marie only a few hours ago. It also meant that Jean would expect everything to be the same between the two of them, and although he knew he loved still loved Jean, at this moment he wasn't to confident that he could treat her as the only love of his life the way he used to. The way he did before he found Marie. First out of the jet was Ororo with a smile on her face that unrivaled any other smile that Scott had ever seen of the beautiful goddess. Then she was there, being carried down the ramp by Hank, her short coppery red hair shinning, her eyes gleaming with joy, and her smile just as bright if not brighter as the who had exited before her. He couldn't believe that she was actually there, that she was real, that she was alive. He could take his eyes off of her, god she was more beautiful than he remember her, if that was even possible. Suddenly he was holding her in his arms, squeezing her tightly as if she was going to disappear at any given second. He wasn't sure if he had been the one to walk to Hank and take her from his arms or if Hank had reached him and simply handed her over but at the moment he didn't care.

"Scott… I missed you so much." Jean whispered in his ear, she felt his despair in thinking she had been dead, and the overwhelming disbelief that he was truly holding her in his arms and her heart broke for what he had been through. And she knew she would spend the rest of her life if she had to making it up to him. How she could have ever had a moments pause about her feelings for the man that was now holding her in his arms she would never understand. She had been attracted to Logan that was true, something she could not deny, but Scott had captured more than just her attention the way Logan had. Scott had captured her soul and she vowed to never take him for granted again.

"Jean…" was all Scott could say before air got caught in his throat. Over her shoulder he saw him now coming out of the jet, Logan. The professor must have noticed where Scott's gaze was, because before he had time to say anything to the bastard Charles had called everyone's attention as he spoke.

"Well, why don't we continue the little reunion in my office?" He stated as he took one of Jeans hands in his own and gave it a loving squeeze. "I can't tell you what a blessing it is to have you home my dear. You have been sorely missed."

"I have missed you too Charles… all of you… so very much." She said with her eyes brimming with tears of happiness, as she looked around at all of her friends that she had come to think of more as family. "So very much." She repeated as she hugged herself to the man she loved so dearly once again.

As each of them started to follow the professor no one but Jean seemed to notice when they reached the doors of Xavier's office the Logan headed for the stairs. Curious she couldn't help herself from asking. "Logan… where are you headed?" at her questioning, everyone paused and turned to look at him awaiting the same answer as Jean.

"Well… I … it's been awhile seen I have gotten to talk to Marie… so I figured I had a reunion of my own to attended… we have quite a bit of catching up to do." Logan replied as he ran a hand though his wild hair not really thinking about the fact that Jean had no clue that it had been two years since he had seen his Marie, but as soon as the confusion came over her face he wished he had remembered.

Then instant Logan had said her name Scott tensed and when the thought of Logan and Marie having a private reunion crossed his mind he wanted to kill the man in the spot he was standing. "Rogue's gone… sorry." He stated in a snide tone, trying with all the power he possessed not to project too many feelings since he was still holding Jean in his arms.

Fury came over Logan as he began to think that this had all been for nothing. "What the hell do you mean, she's gone." He more of less stated than questioned, as he started towards Scott with a lethal look on his face. Sure it was great that the Scott obviously told Marie he was going back to Jean, but he didn't expect her to run. And if she did it could be months, maybe years before he found her, if she could be found at all. Because if the Wolverine inside of him knew one thing about his mate it was that she was just as good at running as he was.

"Logan, please… clam down. I can not only assure you the Rogue is ok. But I can also tell you that she is not that far away. If you would like to see her she will be staying in the house down by the lake front from now on. So if that is where you feel you need to be, then by all means do so. I think it would be safe to say that she is in need of a friend right now." Charles said coolly, knowing that it was the only way to keep the two men from going at each others throats. And with Jean's mental state right now he could not risk them tearing one another apart in front of her, even if he had just possible put an end to whatever small hope was left of Scott and Rogue future together.

"Thanks Chuck… I guess I will be seeing you all later." Logan replied sending Scott a smug smile before he walked towards and then out front doors of the mansion.

Scott stood there in a silent rage, here he was holding Jean in his arms, something he a dreamt of, prayed for since the day he lost her, and all he could think about was slowly killing the man who just walked out the door. Logan hadn't said anything, yet in just the few minutes since his return he had made it crystal clear to Scott that he wasn't here to help out the X-men. No, he was back for one reason and one reason only. And that reason was sitting alone in the Lake House still weak and heart broken from the words Scott himself had spoken to her. Looking now at the women he held in his arms, her face scared and confused beyond belief he knew he had been projection, and he bowed his head upset with all the pain that this was causing her, that he was causing her. There was so much to say, so much to explain. How he was going to get through this all the questions she was going to have. He didn't know, especially when all he could think about was that Marie was alone with Logan.

"Scott… I… how?" Was all Jean could from into words, it was no surprise to her that Scott wanted to pummel Logan, that much she had always known. What she couldn't comprehend and completely perplexed about was the fact that his rage was over Rogue. And the feelings she had been sensing coming off of him in waves was more than that of a protective brother. No, they were more involved, more intense somehow.

"Jean, I promise you all of your question will be answered my child. There is a lot we must all talk about. So please if we can all just go in the office we will inform you of everything you need to know." Charles spoke in his clam manner as he always did. The next few hours were going to be very trying, but he knew that Jean was entitled to hear the truth about all that had happened since she disappeared. As they all filed into his office the professor followed shutting the door behind him as he prepared himself for the queries Jean would want to be answered.

She had been lying on the bed for at least a couple of hours now, she didn't want to open her eyes that were now red and swollen from crying, because she knew she would find herself in the place she would now call home, the sight that made the fact she longer called their room home so real. And to face that fact killed her inside, because it made her realize the other facts as well, he was gone, she had let him go. But it was the right thing to do she reminded herself as she took another ragged breath as she pulled herself up off of the satin lavender comforter set that adorned her new room. She forced herself to get up off the bed and take a tour around the small four roomed cabin. Her room was one of the many amazing thing about the place. It had picture window which you could sit in and watch the sun set and was done in all kinds of different shades of purples. It was a Victorian style house, even though it was called a cabin, maybe because it was so small, compared to most Victorian houses. It had what she would call elegant but homey feel to it, not a rich and expense feel like the mansion. Yes, it would do quite nicely, and it felt more like her home back in Mississippi. Out of all the four years she lived at the Mansion she had no idea that this place was back here but then again, she nor any of the other students really went this far to the back side of the lake to explore, but still with all that was going on she was surprised when the professor asked to stay here instead of leaving altogether. She was also surprised to find that the cabin was one of the cuties little places she had ever seen. The outside of it was light gray, with white trimming and the cutest deep cherry wood shutters, and to finish it was a wrap around porch made of the same deep cherry wood as the shutters. There was also s swing looking out over the garden of lilies and roses to the right side of the house. And now as she made her way around the inside of the spacious kitchen decorated in pale blues and yellow accented with sliver fridge, counter top stove, sink, dish washer and cabinet handles, she was thankful for the professor offering it to her. Because there was no way she would have ending up with something this nice. Even the living room which was not too fancy, decorated in warm yet mellow browns, reds and oranges was one of the most beautiful, Marie had ever seen. The bathroom was done in black and gray marble in a more of a contemporary style but still with a homey feel to it. This place was perfect, a dream come true for a single person moving out on there own, only problem was she didn't want to be out on her own. Her dream was still sharing the small bedroom at the mansion with the man she loved. She had tried, god help her she had, but she couldn't make the thoughts go away, and the pain of them seemed like it was going to consume her. Maybe it was the right thing to do, to leave him before he went back to Jean anyways, yet her heart was still screaming she had made a mistake. She closed the door to the bathroom and went to retake her place back on the comfy king size bed, when she heard a knock at the door. Her heart stopped beating, as hopes of Scott standing in front of her when she opened it telling her it was and only her he loved flooded her mind. Coming to her sense she shook the images out of her head, Jean would be home now, there was no way it could be him. No they were probable lost in one another arms right now, she told her self as she wiped the now fresh tears off her face and walked to the front door. When she opened the door, she almost went into shock, for she found the one person in the world she thought she would never see again standing before her. Marie rubbed her eyes again wondering if she had fallen asleep and was now dreaming, but as soon as she heard his voice she knew she wasn't.

"Hey, Kid." Logan said as he reached up and brushed a stand of her white strand from her drained and puffy face. Even with her face wet and swollen she was still the most beautiful creature he had ever set eyes on, and she was his. She knew it, he knew it and it was only a matter of time before she came to him to heal her broken heart. A heart that the Dick himself had broken, and while it hurt him to see her this way and made him want to rip the man to pieces, he was also thankful. Because without knowing it he had just made Logan's fight to win her back a hell a lot easier, now all he had to do is be there with her and wait.

Memories came rushing back and feelings mixed with all the emotions she was dealing with already where now overwhelming her. It was Logan, the one she had thought she had lost forever, the one person she had dream of being with for most of her life, her first love, her best friend. Sure even considering the fact that she hadn't seen or talked to him in over two years, she still and probable always will think of him as her best friend. God how she had missed him, maybe if he had stayed she wouldn't be going through this pain right now, because she would still be waiting for him to return the love she had always so freely given to him. She wanted to tell him everything, she wanted to ask him why he left that night, why he left her, she wanted ask him what the hell had happened, why he was finally home when she thought for sure she would never see him again, why he didn't call or write in the two years he was away. Yet her month wouldn't move all she could bring herself was cover her face as she started crying again. This was too much, too much too soon, and all she wished at that moment that she could fade away into nothing so that she didn't have to feel anything anymore, ever again. Then his arms where around her, holding her, and she could feel his warm breath in her ear as he whisper sweet nothings to her letting her know it would all be ok. Still all she could do was cry, and she felt her self being lifted from the floor and the next thing she knew she was lying on her bed with her head in his lap as she stroked her hair doing his best to comfort her. And it was working soon she drifted into the darkness of sleep that she so desperately need, only to have the worst nightmare she could have.

"_I don't understand why? Why Scott, why can't you stay? You say you love me, you say I mean everything to you. So why are you leaving me!" Marie screamed at him as he packed his bags. Marie feeling weak in the knees then sat in the chair behind her to hold her head in her hands as she let her tears finally flow. "Dear god, he is really going to leave me." She thought to herself. She couldn't think, she couldn't see, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't feel anything but the pain it was as if the rest of her body had gone numb. It really did feel as if her heart were breaking for she was literally having pains in her chest that seemed to keep growing with sob she made, and all she could do was sit there and cry. He was leaving her, he was really leaving and she knew he was never coming back to her._

"_Please, Scott, please don't leave me. . . You can't, I love you. . . I can't live without you; please. . . I promise we won't fight anymore. I promise you, we won't . . . Please god. . . Scott please don't do this. . . I will do anything. . . Please. . . " Marie pleaded as she rose to her feet and walked over to him and took his face in her hands, only to start putting small kisses on his cheeks in between her pleas. She didn't care if she was begging him; she would kiss his feet if he asked her to, anything to make him stay. "We promised forever, Scott. Forever remember ?" she whispered into his ear as she hugged him to her as if to try and make him stay by force but he carefully unwrapped her arms from him and put them to her sides._

_Scott then laid his on Marie's arms and looked her in the face, before he began to speak._

"_Rogue, I can't stay with you anymore, you know that. I'm not in love with you that way any more. Jean is the one I want I'm sorry. I have to go, I do love you and I always will but I have to go." With that said Scott let her go and grabbed the three bags he had packed off the bed and walked briskly through their small room and out the door. _

_Hearing the door slam shut Marie dropped to her knees and then fell to the floor. _

She sat up straight, waking up to the same pain and tears that had just consumed her dream. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder, oh thank god it had all been a dream a horrible terrifying dream.

"Marie, dralin' you ok?" Logan asked as he pulled himself up to sit beside her resting a loving hand on her shoulder only to slide it down and rub her back.

With the word darlin' alone she would have known that it was Logans and not Scotts hand on her shoulder before she realized that it was true, it wasn't just a dream well most of it wasn't a dream anyways. And with the realization a renewed few of tears started as she turned and buried her face in Logan chest and let his strong arms hold her again. "No… No… I'm not… It hurt Logan… it hurt's so much…but it was the right thing to do... it was the right thing to do..." Marie sobbed more to convince herself then for Logan to hear.

"I know doll, but I'm here now and I promise you I will never leave you again." Logan said without hesitation, because he wouldn't leave her again. He needed her too much, and it took losing her to figure that out. But now that he had her back in his arms he was going to make fucking sure that was where she was going to stay.


	9. Chapter Nine

A/N: I know that this chapter is pretty short and I am sorry but it had to be done this way. I do promise though that the next chapter will be up soon. And I must warn you some very big twist and turns are up ahead. I also know that the last to chapters were very sad but I would also like to say that the next couple are going to get better for long though is unknown. I would also like to thank everyone who is reviewing I love it and it keeps me writing thank you so much all of you for you kind words and encouragement.

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Nine**

It was already midnight, Jean had been back for a little over three weeks now, and she knew. She knew how long she was really gone, about how they come across Hank the new doctor, about the newest X-men. About his relationship with Marie, and even thought she didn't know the details of it she knew it had existed, which was enough to bring a hurt and worry to her eyes that Scott had never wanted to be the cause of. She had moved backed into Scott's room without a second thought, and although Scott loved having her back the he was finding it harder and harder to walk into their room and see Jean standing in the bathroom brushing her hair instead of Marie sitting at his desk with nothing but one of his button up shirts and a smile, with her hairpulled up messily in one of those clip things while she grading her students paper. He fingered the her ring that now hung form a chain around his neck, it was the only real proof that he had left that he and Marie had ever shared the amazing love they had. Other wise it was as if they had never existed, hell it was almost as if Marie had never existed. She didn't come to the mansion anymore, at least not that he knew of. He had seen her only twice since that night Jean had returned home, once was for a mere few seconds as he past her while she was cleaning out her things from her classroom so that Jean could resume teaching the class now that she was back. And the second had been today when bumped into her as she was walking out of the medical lab, he had been lookingat some papers he was suppose to be giving to Hank and had walked right in to her causing them to stumble. He grabbed for her to keep them for falling not really noticing who it was he had so carelessly just tried to plow over. "I'm sorry I…" he looked up at his victim that was now in his arms, and let go of her immediately. It was her, the one person he had been trying not to think about for weeks now. Their eyes meet, then hearing Hank saying hello from the other end of the room, not knowing what to say he had simply turned his back to her and walked away. Now more than ever he wished he had said something, anything. He wanted so badly to talk to her now, to just be able to look at her for awhile and make sure she was ok. But he couldn't he knew it would hurt Jean too much to know that he was with her, not to mention Logan was never more than two feet away from her, not that he was scared of Logan, no just scared of killing him. Knowing that Logan had been staying with Marie in the small one bedroom cabin on the other side of the lake for the past three weeks had sent his feeling for the man to a level of hate Scott didn't think was possible for anyone, much less someone who was always as in control as he was. God he missed her. Scott looked at the lake in the distances, disputing wither or not he should just give in and go to her. He needed to talk to her, that much he knew, he just didn't know where he would begin, or if she would even listen to him. How do you tell someone that you're sorry for not being able to love only them, for leaving like everyone else in their life has, and even if she did come back, how would they deal with Jean and now Logan in their life's. How could they be together, when it would still come down to breaking either her or Jeans heart. Sure he loved her more than his own life, but once again life was proving to him that love wasn't enough, he felt he owed Jean more some how because he had loved her first, longer, and he knew if she had never "died" he would have never even thought of Marie, much less love her. Yet to think of a life without her now…without Marie… his eyes started to sting from the tears that now filled them. He looked at the ring he still held in his fingers again, as memories flashed through his mind, the way she smiled when brushed her face with his finger, the light that shined through her eyes when she laughed, how her hair would fall around her shoulder when she took it down, and then today when he had ran into her. She had looked gorgeous, but the smile, the laugher, the light were all gone, and he had been the one to make it disappear. He finally stood and decided it was better not to hurt her any more than he already had, with that him walked back in the mansion. It was near one in the morning Scott walked in the room hoping that Jean was already asleep; he set down at his desk, him mind being flooded once again by Marie today, she had still looked lovely. Her hair had been pulled back in a loose up do with strands falling around her face, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white tank top. He stood again trying to shake the thoughts of Marie away, he took off his shirt, opened the closet to put it in the laundry basket, and he could smell her. Her favorite denim jacket she had worn that winter was still hanging there. He pulled it off the hanger and breathed the scent of her in, his filling with tears, pain, and anger. Flashes of that night replayed in his mind and he threw the jacket in the closet floor and slammed the door shut forgetting Jean sleeping in the bed. He heard her sit up and rolled his eyes not really wanting to do anything but block out his memories, but he sensed her in his thoughts and knew the talk he had been avoiding with Jean about him and Marie was finally going to happen.

Jean ran her fingers through her red hair as she looked at Scott, she didn't know exactly how involved Scott and Rogue had gotten, or why she would even want to know, but it was killing her to see him continue to hurt like this. And to keep ignoring this situation was only going to make things worse for them. They needed to talk about it, he needed to talk about it so that he could finally put Rogue behind him. But then again she really didn't know much about Scott at all these days. After she come back and he had broke up with Rogue, Scott had shut down as he usually did when he was hurting, but this time it was different, because he was shutting her out too, something he had never done before. It was almost as if the Scott she and everyone else knew was non existent, he got up, went to work, then would poor himself in bed around one or two in the morning only to go sleep and to the same thing over again. Hell, he wasn't even talking to Charles, which had been really upsetting him lately. Scott was a big boy and Jean couldn't tell him how to live his life, but that didn't mean she couldn't talk to him about it. "Scott… you know I…" started only to be cut off.

"Jean, look I am really tried, I just want to go to bed. Can we talk about this some other time?" Scott said more in order than a request, as he slipped off his jeans walked over to the bed and lied down, not getting under the covers feeling too restricted already by having to sleep in his boxers. That was something else that Marie had changed about him, he had become unbelievably use to sleeping in the nude, something he would have never done before her.

"No, no Scott, we can't… we are going to talk about this… and we are going to talk about it now. I am sick and tried of waiting for you to come to me to about it… you and Rogue… look I'm not asking for all the dirty little details ok… I just… I need to know…do you… do you…" Jean couldn't bring herself to ask the only question that might possible destroy her future with the man she loved. Because she knew if he told her that he still loved her, if he said that to her out loud, she couldn't continue on this with him, if she felt like he was here out of duty. That's when the glint of the necklace caught her eye, she knew what it was attached to it, the professor had confided that much in her when she went to him upset asking why Scott never took it off. It's was Rogue's, Scott had asked Rogue to marry him the very day Jean herself came back, the same day, only hours later Scott had also left Rogue for her fiancée that had returned from the dead, her. "Scott… if you're wearing that to punish yourself for what happened between you and Rogue, you have to stop... Rogue is a young beautiful girl she will have no problem finding someone else and moving on… and I am sure she wouldn't want you to cause yourself any more grief than you already have." She said trying to will herself to believe the statement she had just made, she wanted to believe that he was worried about the pain he caused her, not that he was wearing it because he didn't want to let her go. Slowly she reached out her hand to touch his shoulder and then ran her finger down his back. She wanted to touch him to hold him the way she used to. To have him touch and hold her the way he used too, but he had been so distant since she had come home that they still haven't made love, but she was about to change that. She thought as she scooted across the bed to meld the front of her body to the back of his, while lying her soft lips on the curve of his neck. " I love you so much… I am tired of seeing you hurting like this." She whispered in his ear in between her light kisses, wanting to ease his pain and make him forget that a woman name Rogue was ever apart of his life.

She was wrong so very wrong, true he was torturing himself but it wasn't with what he had done, it was with what he had lost. Even now feeling Jean against him, he felt as if knew that if he took this step there would be no turning back, Marie would be lost to him forever. He felt himself starting to react to Jean caresses and looked down at the ring that he had put on Marie finger, it was all he had left of her. Then he felt Jeans hands moving along his neck and he tensed as the chain around his neck was undone and lifted from around his neck to the nightstand beside him. He took in deep breathe when he felt Jean then startle him across his hips, and he forced himself to open his eyes and look at her. He tried to make himself feel what he had once felt when he had made love to Jean, he had enjoyed her withering above him, calling his name but he could bring his self to say hers. After he laid there thinking about how many times he had dreamed of this to have her above him looking down at him with nothing but love in her eyes, to make love to her like he had just done. However it didn't feel right, something had been missing. Then it hit him what it was, it was big brown doe eyes, soft velvet white and auburn hair, and a soft southern accent to his name, but it was to late now. He had made his choice, it didn't matter now that he had realized that it was the wrong choice, because to Jean he had just committed himself to her once again and he couldn't leave her now, not after all she had been through. And as much as the knowledge hurt him, she was right about Marie, she would find someone else and move on, never knowing that she still held his heart and all of his love.

He still loved her, she knew that with out a bout now, but for some reason he had just promised him self to her. She should let him go, let him go back to the woman he loves. She should, but she can't. Jean looked up at the face of the man to so dearly loved, she couldn't live without him, and Rogue was young she would be fine, hell she had Logan. But Jean knew to couldn't survive with out Scott, so she couldn't let him go. Sure she had lost his love, but with time, with time and patience, she could win that love back. She could… she would make him love her again… she had too… no matter what it takes…_"yes…honey that's right it's to late now… it's to late to tell Marie you love her…_" …No matter what it takes.


	10. Chapter Ten

**A Special Thanks To those who have reviewed:**

**Baby12, Ashnan, Harpiebird, Raniatlw, Chica De Los Ojos Café, Natalia, VanillaStrawberry, RKO, GottaLoveIt, BlackNightWolf04, Lily94, Samm16, TPolTucker, Cysefin, Jupiterhime, luv2live, Nicki**

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Ten**

"Hey, so where is the chica… You did tell her I was coming to have a sit down with her today right Wolvie?" Jubilee asked the big grumpy looking bear in front of her. How Marie got so lucky as to move from living with the hunk Scott Summers to the embodiment of sexual fantasies Logan, she would never understand. And although she knew her best friends heart had been broken and that Roguey didn't see it that way, she did, Jubilee couldn't help herself in feeling just the teeny tiniest bit jealous.

"She out back on the porch." He told the mouthy yellow clad girl, how on earth Marie could have such an annoying friend was beyond Logan. The girl had only visited them three other times in the six weeks they had lived here in the cabin and already he was thinking to ways to shut her up permanently. Hell the only reason she was still walking now was because she always had Marie smiling by the time she walked out the door and that was worth the suffering he had to endure of listening to the little Oriental's cocky, high pitched voice while dishing about everything going on at the mansion and her own life.

Jubilee sashayed past the door block that called himself Wolverine and made her way the back porch the find Rogue sitting in her usual spot overlooking the lake. She had no idea what was up with up the connection both Rogue and her wild man shared with nature both they both seemed to preferred being outside than in. Where as Jubilee on the other hand who couldn't stand to sweat in the heat of the summer or freeze in the cold of the winter, could always be found in the comfort of the inside with the AC roaring cold or the heater full blast. However with it being the end of September the weather wasn't too bad, so she guessed it wouldn't hurt for her to sit outside this visit, she decided as she took a seat on the porch swing next to Rogue. "Hey chica… how you been? Has the big bad been keeping you busy with physical actives? Cause you know if I were in your shoes I would be world's best wrestler by now… If you get my drift." Jubilee said with her trademark smile and wink of her eye.

"You know Jubes, as hard as it is to understand what your saying most of the time, I don't think there is a person in all living existence who wouldn't get the meaning of that one." Marie said not being able to hold back a smile, she loved the girl sitting next to her but there were times like this she had to question if Jubes had ever escaped from a mental word. The just theidea of Logan and herself had crazy written all over it, sure she had loved him when she was younger, but he had made it very clear that he didn't return those feelings. Not to mention that was before she had fallen in love with Scott. So what if Logan was staying here with her, always by her side, holding her, she knew his feelings for her didn't go any further than him wanting to protect her from all the pain she was going through and maybe even trying to make up for the last two years he had been gone. They were friends and nothing more.

"Hello, earth to chica, are you listening to me…" Jubilee said waving a hand in front of her friend's face, pretty sure that she hadn't heard a word she just said. Sighing at Rogues automatic apology she knew she was going to have to start her sepal over again. "Ok, well now that I have your attention I guess I will just cut straight to the question I want to know."

"Which is?" Marie inquired now lost and confused, which wasn't all to uncommon in her conversations with Jubilee.

"Are you two sleeping together yet?" Jubilee asked without a moment's hesitation.

"Excuse Me?" Marie stated truly questioning her Jubes sanity now, while she turned sideways in the swing to face her friend and look her in the eyes so that she could make sure she wasn't joking. And to her surprise, she found that Jubilee was quite serious.

"You heard me. Are you and Wolvie getting it on, yet?" She couldn't hint around the subject any longer. Fact of the matter was, that Jean had made it very apparent the she and Scott were on more than friendly speaking terms the last few weeks, giving him small touches and kisses in just about everyone presents, and she knew that the news would devastate her already coping friend. Rogue had already been through so much, Jubilee just wanted for her friend to be happy, and as far as she was concerned the Wolf Man was the cure. And even if he wasn't the cure to her happiness, it would at the very least clear up some long over due thick sexual tension between the two. "Hey don't look at me like I just asked you to sleep with me, you know I don't swing that way. And don't go getting pissy with me either Ms. Thing, at least her me out before you decide to tell knifes in there off with her head. I know that is hasn't been that long since you and Scott split, but I also know how much you care for the big oaf inside. I just… I just want you to be happy, and I have seen the way he looks at you since he has been back, not to mention the fact that he is all but up your ass almost every second of the damn day. You know… I think, I think you have another chance at real love here Hon, and I hate to see you throw it away because dickhead stick up his ass broke your heart. Then again if it's none of my business just tell me so and I won't say a thing."

"It's a bit late for that, Jubes don't you think." Marie replied, as she stood up and walked over to the railing leaning over to rest on her fore arms as she looked out at the nature around her all the while having Jubes words replaying over in her head. Sighing she turned to looked at Jubes still sitting were she had left her. "I understand that you are worried about me, and even if your solutions to my… problems are a little off the wall, I appreciate you wanting to help… and if I knew that… I don't know Jubes… I do care a lot for Logan I really do, it's just that when I was with Scott…" Marie began but was cut off short.

"Scott… you know what chica… I didn't want to say anything but I as your friend even if it is going to hurt you I feel you are in need of a severe wake up call. Scott is with Jean, and by the way when I say with Jean I do mean with Jean. Baby there is no more you and Scott, there hasn't been in almost two months now. And I know you are hurt it's just that… ok look at it this way… Let's say you go out and you find a pair of jeans, I mean the most perfect pair of jeans you've ever slipped on, they make your waist look tiny, don't cause any puggies, fit your ass like a glove. You wear then all the time until one day you go to put them on only to find out that they are ripped and irreparable. Now you have two choices, you can spend forever trying to fix them knowing that it can never be done or you can go and get yourself a new pair of jeans." Jubilee explained now standing beside Rogue with a pleading look on her face, hoping she will comprehend her analogy.

"Only you can compare, love with clothes Jubes." Marie said giving her a smile letting her know she understood what it was she was trying to say.

"First of all those jeans were the best I have ever owned, and second of all I still miss them dearly. But that's just the point I am trying to make, you miss him, I know that, and you always will. Nothing will ever make that go away. But he moved on babe, and it wouldn't kill you to let your self be happy, to let yourself move on to someone else who I know loves you more than either he or you will ever admit." Jubes pleaded with Rogue to let go of the pain she seemed to be holding on to.

"Wow… I mean wow that was really… really deep… especially for you." Rogue remarked with a playing tone pretending to be taken aback at seeing her friend serious.

"I know my head is completely pounding now." Jubilee replied with a smirk, only causing them to burst out in laughter seconds later.

_**Later That Night **_

"Logan?" Marie more or less asked for his attention.

"Yeah." Logan automatically replied as he ran his fingers through hair. They had just eaten dinner and settled on the couch, something that had become routine for them. Every night it was the same, Marie lying down with her head in his lap, book in her hands. She would read while he watched hockey, or whatever car show he could find.

"That night that you left… the night you… what happened…you know when..." Marie didn't know how to ask what it was that she needed to know. How could she put into words and asked him why he seemed so crazed, if he remembered it at all, did he really mean it when he said she was his forever, was it really him who had been holding and marking her his own.

Logan breathed in deep, he knew what she was speaking of, and just like he knew that eventually she would want to ask these questions. "What is it you want to know Kid?" he asked in return not sure where to start, as he locked eyes with hers as she looked up at him with her head still in his lap, his hand still in her hair.

"I don't… well; I guess the main thing I'd like to know is why you did it?" As the words flowed softly from her mouth she watched as his gaze moved from her eyes to the scar that lay just above her heart. She then felt his hand that had been resting in her waist move up her shirt, she almost forgot how to breathe as his fingers slowly undid the top button of the already v-neck red blouse and pulled it open to reveal the very mark he had left upon her.

Logan looked at the evidence that made the Wolverine inside of him scream mine, and then with two fingers he traced the line that seemed to be exactly three inches long. Just as he remembered it, an inch for every claw he bared on each hand. "I didn't want to lose you… something inside me… something I hadn't felt in a long time… refused to lose you..." he somewhat confessed as his fingers still graze over the spot of her perfect skin he had marred, in order to show she was his own.

"If that's true, then why'd you leave?" She questioned she her own hand found it's way to his interlacing her finger with his.

"Let's just say seeing you bleeding at my hands… you know Kid, there isn't anything that really scares me… but seeing you like that… knowing that I was the one…" Logan paused for a moment to clear his throat, feeling his chest tighten as he saw a flash of her there in his arms begging and bleeding. "It terrified me… to know that I could do that you… I couldn't risk it again… I didn't want to hurt you… so I left… put as much distance as I could between the two of us, so that I couldn't dosomething like thatagain."

"Then I guess my next question is why did you come back?" She asked lifting her gaze from watching her hand hold his as he traced her scar, to lock her eyes with his.

"Do you remember what I told you that night?" he asked holding her eyes with his as he moved his hand that was brushing through her hair to stroke her cheek. "It was true… all of it… it didn't take to long for me to figure out that the only other thing that scared me worse than hurting you… was not being able to love you…I fought it though… for as long as I could… but one night… I was dreaming... of you… of that night… all I wanted to do is hold you… and when I woke up you weren't there… after that I was tried of fighting…" Logan told her with as low husky voice his face growing ever closer to hers. "I had to be near you… I had to hold you again… I needed to…" then he voice was silenced as her lips touched lips his, so softly at first then quickly turning into a kiss of heated passion.

Marie wasn't sure if he had been the one to kiss her or if it was the other way around, and at the moment she didn't care. All the knew was how wonderful it felt to feel something besides only the pain, even if it was just for a brief time, she couldn't help but enjoy the way he was making her body feel. Everything was forgotten in that moment, except the blood boiling kiss he was giving her. She had always known Logan would feel this amazing. His head lifted slowly and all she could do was gaze into those remarkable hazel eyes of his. She had wished for this so many times when she was younger, and even though apart of her still wanted Logan, she was yearning for a man with a pair of red quartz glasses. He bent his head down towards hers again, and she closed her eyes as she awaited his lips to touch hers, only to feel his lips brush against her ear as he whispered the words she would never forget, the words that changed her world.

"I can't explain what it is you make me feel… Marie... what you mean to me that will never change…but I can't… be with you, not now. Your not ready… and I need to know for sure that when look at me it's me you see… when you fall asleep at night in my arms it's me your dreaming of… I won't be his replacement." It was taking everything Logan had inside of him to not carry her to the bedroom and continue what had been started, but he had heard the little talk that firecracker had given Marie earlier. He had tried his best to tone out her voice, but honestly even if he didn't have heightened senses he wouldn't have been able to block out the girl, and he was grateful that the annoying pain in the ass was on his side, but she had shown him that he needed to give Marie more time to heal. She was truly a vision, this girl with platinum streaks in her auburn hair, he thought looking into her eyes that were filled with a mixture of sadness and passion. Then there was her face, so full of life, so innocent, so fragile like that of a china doll. And that's how he vowed to treat her from now on, with the gentlest of hands and greatest loving care, he was not going to lether crack or brake any more then she already had. "It's gettin late darlin' why don't you go get some rest." He offered her an easy escape, thenhelped her sit up and stand keeping one of his hands on the small of her back.

Marie walked around the couch in somewhat of a daze, he loved her; he had pretty much just said so. Maybe not word for word but with Logan that was probably the best admission of loved she'd ever get. Not only did he just tell her he had returned the feelings that she had long ago felt for him, maybe even still felt for him, this was Logan after all. But her had just showed her how much her cared by not letting her walk into something she wasn't ready for. She stopped behind him and fixed her eyes on him before she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Logan." Was all she could say now more confused about her feelings than even, was it possible she still loved Logan somehow. She was just so tried, she figure it out tomorrow, yeah maybe tomorrow she will be able to figure out the mess inside that she called her feelings.

"_No problem kid… take your time, cause I am going to leave again… at least not without you by my side."_ He thought as he lay down on the couch trying to clam his nerves, which were still in an uproar after having tasted her lips with his.

**Authors Note: OK, OK, OK, I know that this story has been pretty emotional, and I can't say that it is going to get much better right now, as I said in the last chapter I posted some big twist and turns are still to come, but I can promise all of you a very happy ending. Hopefully you are all still loving to story and suspense. However here is the next chapter, enjoy.**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Eleven**

The tactics room, the room where they always went over plans and procedures of the next mission they were about to embark on, it was one of the biggest rooms in the mansion. Yet at the moment sitting there with both Jean and Scott in the room with her, Marie felt like it was one of the smallest and getting smaller by the second. Sure the professor, Jubilee, Strom, Kitty, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Hank were all there, but it still felt as if the walls were closing in on her. She was doing her best to focus all of her attention to the details of the mission they were about to take, but every once and awhile she would feel Jeans eyes on her and she couldn't help but look that way. Not the mention it was kind of hard to not watch them standing there next to each other, with Jeans hand rested on his lower back, especially since Scott was the leader and in charge of doling out the information that was going to be needed. Then once the meeting was over and it was time for them to suit up and board the X-jet it took everything Marie had not the up and run out of the room. The ride to the abandon factory that was reported to have a group of young mutants that had gone into hiding with no real adult to care for them, wasn't really all that bad since Scott and Jean were flying the jet and Marie opted to sit in the back all the while silently cursing the Professor for choosing Logan to be the one to stay behind with him to protect the mansion. Logan had been her saving grace for the past couple of months since Jean had come home, she didn't know how she would have ever made it thought any of this without him, and he seemed to be making every day a little better for her. Holding her when she needed to be held, getting her out of the house for walks even when she didn't want to go, making her laugh when she became too quite somehow knowing she needed it. That was something else she couldn't think him enough for, not just him simply being there but showing her all the softer side of himself that he probably hadn't know existed. It was just like old times between them, as if he had never left for over two years, slowly but surely she was falling for him all over again… No, she wouldn't think that, not only was she still in love with Scott. She couldn't hurt Logan that way, like he had said he wouldn't be a replacement and she couldn't live through having her heart broken yet again. Feeling the jet make it's landing only twenty minutes later, Marie snapped herself out of her thought and was the down the ramp before all the others were even unbuckled, as soon as her feet hit the ground she shifted her mind entirely on the mission.

"Ok. We all know the layout. Storm will stay here and keep the jet ready, remember stay alert. And as we went over back at the mansion, due to some type of shield being cast over this place the professor could not confirm or deny that there are actual mutants in there, so this could be some kind of trap. Kitty and Colossus you two go in the left side of the building. Nightcrawler and Jubilee go in through the right side, Hank and Rogue take the back entrance, and Jean and I will go through the front." Scott laid out in short for them, then giving a nod he watched as everyone started out of the wooded area they had landed in to carry out the orders he had just given them. He couldn't help but be a little uneasy as his gaze drifted to watch Marie walk away with Hank not far behind this was the first mission they'd had together since Jean had come back a couple of months ago. And even though Scott knew Hank would die before he let anything happen to Marie, he still wanted to be the one to protect her. Shaking the thoughts from his head he went back into leader status as he and Jean came up on the front entrance of the abandon factory. The place was quite, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Hopefully they it wouldn't take long for them to collect the four or five young ones that were reported to be living here alone. And just as he and Jean had walked through the door that was when he heard it.

It had all seemed to happen in slow motion; just as Marie and Hank entered the building they saw four young children none of them older then the age of six in some sort of a cage not more than ten feet away. Then she felt it on her the back of her neck, the cold steel of the barrel of a gun, without a second thought Maries training kick in and she lifted her leg back to kick the armed person in the knee cap while grabbing the barrel of the gun with her hand pointing the air as the man fall to his a knelling position as the gun went off nearly deafening Marie. Seeing Hank starting to turn towards her as two men come out from behind a stack of wooden carats in front of him she yelled a warning. "Hank, in front of you, don't worry about me. Get the kids." Pulling off a glove she touched the mans face was now trying to stand once again, she felt the rush of his thoughts and let go quickly to make sure she only put him out for a couple of hours. Turning she ran to help Hank dispose of the two man he had now disarmed. Around the building you could here shots being fried and grunts of people fighting. It was strange how fast everything was happening, yet at the same time how slow it seemed. She took down one of the man attacking Hank by surprise as she walked up and placed her hand on his face from behind him, and she can safely say he had no idea what hit him, or touched him before he was out cold on the floor. By that time Hank had knocked out the other man he had been struggling with and was now breaking the lock on the cage the children had been in, walking over to him she saw him grab two kids in each arm.

"I'm going to get them to the jet, go and help the others."

She didn't have to be told twice, she took off in the diction she still heard the shooting going on. Seconds later over her com device she could hear Scott telling everyone to get to back to the jet, but knowing with the guns still going off the way they were they had to have someone trapped, so if her could sneak up on the shooter all it would take was a touch and they would get the hell out of there. One by one Marie heard over the com her team members reporting in, Kurt and Jubilee were the first to report back safe on the jet, Hank was next with the kids, and then Kitty and Colossus weren't far behind. So that left Scott and Jean, damn, where the hell is he. She was close to the bastard that much she was sure of but for some reason he had stop shooting, probably to reload. She turned the next corner around a pile of wood to come almost face to face with Jean, and the glint of a gun being raised at both of them from only a mere fifteen feet away. Again Marie instincts took over, she lunged at Jean wrapping her arms around her waist and threw both Jean and herself into the pile of stacked wood and then to the floor. She didn't the remember hearing the gun go off but she swore she heard the bullet fly by, the next thing she knew she was pulling her self up as Scott came up to her side. She looked down only see her effort was in vain, as she saw the blood coming out of the top of Jean black leather suit.

"Marie… Jean are you…" Scott yelled terrified. He had been only a second to late in blasting the man with the gun before he could get of that last shot. He didn't even know if he had killed the man and for the first time on his life he really didn't care. All he cared about at that moment was making sure the two people that meant the most to him in the world was ok. When he reached them Marie she had pulled her self into a standing position above Jean who laid unmoving face up on the floor, blood smeared along her throat and chin. Knowing they had to get out of there and now Scott pick her up as gently as possible in his arms. "Storm meet us at the front entrance now. Jeans been shot." He shouted into the com as he started to make his way out the door. Looking back to make sure Marie was close behind him.

Seconds later Marie boarded the jet after Scott and Jean; there were no words, she should have moved faster, now Scott was facing losing the love of his life again, except this time they all knew she wouldn't be coming back. And it was her fault, she had tried to save her, she really had but they probably wouldn't think so. She bowed her head partly in shame and partly because her neck was in searing pain and right arm had gone completey numb. _"Probably from the force of hitting the concrete floor wrong or something."_ Marie thought as she took a seat in the closest spot to her since the pain in her neck was starting to burn. _"God is the jet always this cold"_ she thought as she leaned back against her seat feeling weak, drained and dizzy. Her eye lids felt heavy so very heavy. _"Rest I just need to rest" _she thought before she let herself drift into darkness.

Scott laid Jean down across the bench in the back and striped her in as the jet took off. Once she was safely secure he unzipped her suit slowly and tenderly, then careful started to peel it from her flesh while his eyes, along with Hank's who had just stepped up behind him searched for the bullet wound. Realizing at the same time the there was nothing there after a good half minute of examining her front side they glanced at each other it was clear she had been hit the was blood covering her neck and chin.

"Here let me turn her over, the bullet could have gotten lodged in her back." Hank stated before he took Scott place leaning over her. After Scott undid her strapping Hank gently lifted her as Scott again ever so slowly pulled the black leather away from her skin, off of her arms to hang around her waist. It only took a second the see there was nothing there, no blood this time, no wounds, not even a burse. "Where the fuck did the blood come from." Hank cursed out of frustration as well as worry.

The sight of Jeans unmarred back caused Scotts mind to go blank, but as soon as Hank spoke the words he winced, and he head snapped around in search of Marie. She couldn't be, she was fine, she was up and walking he though rapidly before finding her sitting in the back of the jet just across from them. He had always loved the color red, for years before the professor was able to modify his specs to be able to tune in real colors, red was all he saw. But now, at this very moment he couldn't hate the color more, it jumped out at him so out of place running down on the creamy white porcelain skin of her right hand and dripping off her forefinger. His gaze followed the thin flowing trail of HER blood up her right arm, up the front curve of her shoulder and it was there, even now hardly noticeable. The hole directly in the center of the small X that rest on the lower part of the right side of her throat which her crimson life now was now trickling out of. "Hank." Was all he could get out in a mere whisper, as he stared at her sitting there looking so fragile, her hair stringy with sweat, moisture on her pale brow and cheeks, her breathing so shallow it barley even existed. He quickly snapped out of his brief shock, and was instantly on his knees in front of her. "Marie, baby open your eyes. Come open them sweetie… Marie…look at me… please just… ROUGE… OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT ME… THAT'S AN ORDER!" Scott yelled at her holding her face in his hands as he lost his well know control, right along with his sanity when she didn't respond.

"Scott, Scott let go of her… I have to… Scott move…" Hank said having to all but push him away from Rogue in order to tend to her. Zipping her suit just a mere inch and then he pulled back the collar the hoping and praying to find that the bullet somehow missed her artery but she was still losing too much blood to fast, he couldn't tell and without the proper utensils. "I need glaze to help apply pressure and try to slow the bleeding, but I afraid that we… Oh, god…" Hank than lifted Rogue out of her seat more roughly than he would normally and laid her in the floor and started performing CPR.

"What… what happened?" Jean asked rubbing her head as she sat up. Once her vision was in focus, the sight before her had her instantaneously in doctor mode; it didn't take her but a moment to find herself next to Hank helping to try to save the very life that was put in the jeopardy while saving her own. "Hank… I don't … shit we need to be at the mansion… she already…" she caught herself before she could go any further as she saw the look Hank had given her out of the corner of her eye. Yet she couldn't help but realize that her bare hands were on Rogues face, who never wore her bracelet during mission, yet Jean wasn't feeling her pull, there was no drain, not to mention the fact that her temperature was already dropping.

Scott felt like his life was fading away with hers; he wanted to hold her hand, to run his fingers through her hair, to whisper in her ear how he never stopped loving her. However with as narrow as the jet was there was only enough room for Jean and Hank to work on her. All he could do for the rest of the ride home was stand there gazing at her face that was slowly losing more and more color and will her to stay with him. As soon as the jet landed Hank picked up Marie and headed straight to the Medical Lab with Jean and Scott both following closely behind, everyone else not much further behind them. Scott continued towards double doors the OR portion of the med lab that Hank had rushed Marie into, only to have Jean step in his way.

"Scott, no, you can't go in there." Jean order before walking in behind Hank.

Scott not giving a damn at the moment took another step towards the doors only to his arms grabbed by that of Colossus. Scott then took a step back, and with a murderess look on his face he informed Colossus, that if his didn't get out of his way he would have no problem killing him. In turn Colossus released him and stepped aside. Scott then rushed to the doors and looked through the windows to see Marie lying on the table with tube coming out of her mouth, and both Hank and Jean working frantically over her. As he was about to go inside the room, Jean ran to lock the doors, and then pulled the curtain so that he couldn't even see what was happening. Raising his hand ready to blast his way in he suddenly found Ororo's hands on his arms this time.

"You don't understand she needs me… I have to be with her Ororo… Marie needs me..." Scott yelled as he struggled against Ororo, to be at Marie's side.

"Scott, stop…" Ororo could see that she wasn't getting through to him so she did the only thing she could think of, she raised her hand and slapped in across his face. Which got his attention sure enough, but now he was looking at her with so much hurt written on his face that she didn't think she would be able to bear it. She then took Scott in her arms and hugged him to her, waiting for the brake down she knew that was sure to come but didn't. "It will be ok… you know as well as I do how strong she is… she will be fine…"

"Your damn right she'll be fine." Logan said as he walked in the room claws ready to be bared.

Logan walked up to stand face to face with Scott and the sight of the man fueled him with fury as he yelled at him," What the hell do you let happen to her Summers?"

"Fuck you Wolverine you don't know what you're talking about?" Scott shouted back at him, thinking the idiot must have lost his mind to try and push his buttons now of all times.

"I know exactly what am I talking about, Scout leader. Where the fuck is Marie lying right now, it sure as hell isn't at home in our bed were she is suppose to be" he said as grabbed Scott by his shirt and slammed him against the wall, pinning him there with a murder in his eyes.

"You're what?" Scott roared enrage at Logan confirming what some of his coworkers and students had been speculating about the how close he and Marie had become since his return home. Then shoving the man hard in the chest pushing him back a few steps, Scott held himself back wanting nothing more than to blow off every part of him that might have touched Marie.

"I swear to you if she doesn't make it through this…" Logan started to threaten, pointing a finger in the boys face, then was knocked back again as Scott's fist connected with is face. At that point they both were ready to kill; Logan unsheathed his claws as Scott raised his hands to his visor, each one daring the other to make a move.

"That's enough, both of you… and to think I thought that the two of you above all would show a little respect here when the one you care so dearly about is in there fighting for her life." Xavier said firmly as he wheeled in the room, this was out of control and never out of the endless lists of bad ways this could have ended up did he think for a second that Rouge would be facing losing her life while Logan and Scott wanted to end each others in the next room. This had to end and end soon because he could not face another death of one of his children, his heart just couldn't take it again. "Now, if the two of you would like to behave like adults and sit here and wait with everyone else please do so. But if you want to continue to act like children then I will gladly send you both to yours rooms where you can get word of her condition along with the other young children in the mansion."

"I'm not leavening her." Logan stated, still scowling at Scott.

"Neither am I." Scott replied forcefully, doing his best not to raise his hand and blow a hole through the man that he would never be able to heal.

"Little late for that don't you think, bub." Logan added as he took a sit across the room, at least if he couldn't beat the shit out of the cocky son of a bicth he could still hurt him.

"Yeah, but I guess I should thank you. After all I picked up that move from you." Scott said taking a seat on the opposite side of the room.

"Yes, this is much better." Xavier said with a sigh as he parked himself by the door.

**Authors Note: I would just like to say that this is my first time to write any kind of action scene. Hopefully it was not to disappoint for all of you, any how I did try. I hope you all loved the chapter and I next one will be up as soon as possible.**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Twelve**

Logan sat there in a daze looking at the wall that Marie was now behind. He had almost lost her yet again. She had flat lined, and although Hank and Jean were able to get her heart beating again, she had slipped into a coma. They couldn't tell Logan when she would wake up or even if she would at all, and even though he had touched her, tried to heal her, the pull would never come. Hank had said it had something to do with the damn bracelet she wore, and her body being in a coma causing her brain to somehow shut off her skin on it own now, honestly Logan hadn't understood a word either of them had said, except for the part that she could still die and that only time would tell. He rubbed his hand along his chin and then leaned his head back against the wall. All they knew was that basically the longer she stayed in the coma she had slipped into the less hope there was for her to wake up at all. Hank and most of the others had left over an hour ago, leaving Jean to look after Marie and Scott alone with Logan in the waiting room. Logan didn't really notice, all he knew at point was that he needed to be next to Marie, holding her hand, watching her breath, to listen to her heart still beating no matter how faint it maybe. He looked at his watch, it read 5:24 AM, and he stood and walked over to the door, opened it and went inside. Fuck Jean and her you need to wait out side policy, he wanted to be near Marie, and he wasn't waiting her any longer to finish what was suppose to be a quick check up. Looking around he saw Jean standing next to the bed adjusting the something on one the machines now connected to his Marie.

"Logan, I thought I told you to…" she started only to see a look on his face that pretty much told her he wasn't going anywhere, with out him having to say a word. "Fine, you have twenty minutes, ok. Twenty minutes, and no more Logan. She really should be stabilized before anyone is allowed in here at all." She knew she was talking more to herself as she walked out of the room.

"Well, darlin'" He said as he pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down in it. "You realize that this isn't funny anymore right. The whole… uhh… damsel in distress act… it's really getting old Marie…" He said with tears in his already bloodshot eyes. He picked up her hand and caressed it before bringing it to lips and softly placing a lingering kiss on the back of it. "I… I need you to listen to me ok." Logan brushed a strand of hair out of Marie's face and let it linger in her hair as he rubbed his thumb a crossed her temple lightly. He then scooted closer and leaned down so that his head was by hers and whispered in her ear. "You know people say that when you are like this… just barely hanging on… that you get a choice… that you get to decide… weather or not you stay…or…" He paused not able to finish saying the rest out loud. Then placing a kiss on her cheek and then another on her hand before he continued. "Well, I'm not going to ask you to stay Marie… I am telling you… you don't have that choice, you have to stay…I forbid you to leave me… so you can quite trying to make up your mind about what to do, and just go ahead and wake up now… because bottom line… I'm not letting you go." Logan exhausted from the whole ordeal place one last kiss on Marie's hand, leaned his head down upon his chest to listen to the slow, soft, and weak rhythmic sound of her heart. Then he thought about Marie and the night he had first confessed what she had truly meant to him. That had been the only night he had told her he loved her, he was sure she knew but when this was all over he was going to have to make sure to tell her again. The way he looked at it was there was no point in telling someone something they already knew, but now, he knew he needed to tell her again. Logan's eyes started getting heavy as he sat there listening to the soothing beat until finally dozed off and let sleep claim him, his ear still to her chest.

Scott was furious not only with Logan for just walking into Marie's room without permission, but also with Jean for letting him remain there. She had hardly spared him a glance as she walked out of the room and into her office with her clip board. Finally not being able to sit there any longer Scott pulled himself up out of his seat and walked to stand in front of Marie's door. Looking through the widow Scott couldn't help but stare at the man he envied and hated more than anyone or anything, as he sitting next to her, holding her hand, placing kisses on her face. This was crazy, he should be the one in there next to her, getting to stay by her side, hold her hand as he whisper loving words in her ear to come back to him. Hell, she shouldn't even be here at all. _If Jean and Logan had never come back, she wouldn't be. We would be upstairs still together, safe and happy._ He thought bitterly, and almost immediately cursed himself for such a thought. It wasn't Jean's fault and as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't Logan either. No, he had lost her because he hadn't believed that their love was strong enough to survive Jean's return. Because he had realized to late that even though his feeling for Jean were in fact love, that it wasn't Jean he was IN love with. He lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck as he closed his eyes not being able to watch any long as Logan laid his head upon her chest.

"Scott…" Jean said making her presents known as she walked up behind him. She could hear his thoughts as loudly as she could hear her own and not only was it breaking her heart, but the pain he was feeling was almost unbearable. She took a deep breathe and tried to remind herself that he loved her, he did, he was just concerned with Rogue welfare right now. He loved her, he had to, and things had been getting so much better the last few days. They were talking more, he was starting to come to their room earlier at night, and from time to time he would put an arm around her or hold her hand. It was only a matter of time before stopped thinking of Rogue all together, she was sure of it. It didn't matter anyways, she wasn't letting him go. And there was no way Logan was going to let him near Rogue even if she did. So it was more like she was doing this for all of them not just her and Scott. Yes, it would only be a little while longer before all four of them were happy. "You know, you really should get some sleep…" she said as she took another step towards him and placed a hand at the base of the back of his neck to replace his own hand and started massaging the knots there. "You're tried and I promise I will inform you if anything happens… I know how much two of you meant to each other."

Meant… Past tense, she was right though. Scott thought as the words Jean had just spoken sunk in. It was too late, Marie was gone, and it was too late to… "Yeah, you know I think your right. I am pretty tried… I guess I'll see you when you get in." He said as he gave one last look at Marie before turning and heading towards the door.

"Yeah, I should only be here a couple of more hours." Jean replied as he walked past her, then when he reached the door she added. "I love you; see you in a little bit."

"Love you too." He retuned as he walked out the door of the infirmary, giving her a small smile as he made his exist. Scott didn't know why he had said what he just had; it was as if he felt he had to. He sighed as guilt wash over him because he knew it wasn't true, at least not the way she wanted it to be. But what did it matter anyhow, he couldn't be with the women he truly did love, so the least he could do was make sure Jean was happy, lord knew she had already been through enough.

Jean bit the top of her pen as she looked at the door her beloved had just existed through. To make him say that had been wrong, hell what she was doing to him altogether was wrong. But she needed to hear him say it. Looking down at her clip board and seeing Rogues name on the papers before her brought the woman's gaze to the two people in room beside her. Fighting back the guilt of what she was doing, she repeated to herself as she continued looking at Logan and Rouge, it was for the best. It was for the good of all of them; it was…it had to be.

**Three Days Later **

Logan opened his eyes and looked at Jubilee, then turned his head to look at Marie. He squeezed her hand, nothing. She hadn't moved, hadn't flinched, hadn't made a sound now for three days. A pain shot through his chest and his eyes stung with tears as they did every time she didn't respond to him now. And although no one said it to him she was becoming more frail, he could see it. She was getting paler; her breathing was slowing more everyday, he could hear her heartbeat growing weaker, and the glow that always seemed to be around her was dimming. She had become his light and now his world was gradually growing darker as she faded, she had stolen his heart, and was now stealing his sanity. It was actually poetic since she was the one who brought him out of the same darkness and insanity she was now putting him back into. Just this morning he had sworn he'd heard her call his name, felt her lips press against his, and then he woke up. It had felt so real; how was he going to live without the one person who had taught him how to smile again. What a cruel contradiction to be given some one to open the deepest part of your soul, only to have them taken away from you. He looked down at her hand in his, so small, delicate, and fragile, he pulled it to his lips and tenderly placed a kiss on her palm as he had done so many other times in the past three days. Then he rested the same hand back again on the bed beside her.

"Logan, I know you have to be tried, and hungry, so…."

"No. I'm not leaving her Jubilee. I can't." Logan was sick of having this conversation, not only with Jubilee but with Ororo, Charles, Hank, Jean and even the blue guy Kurt had stopped by once yesterday.

"Look, I hate to say it, Wolvie but you're not doing Roguey any good by sitting here. You need to take care of your self, Mr. I think I am invincible. There are Hank and Jean are here to take care of her around the clock; plus it's not like she is going get and go some where ok. So let's get you home, for the love of God and everyone who's had to smell you, get you a shower, a decide meal, and a nice long nap and I will bring you right back." Jubilee ranted while taking a hold of Logan's arm and trying to get him up out of the chair. Only to have him rip his arm easily out of her grasp.

"What if she wakes up big bird? Did you ever think about that? What if she wakes up for one minute and I'm not here." Logan all but yelled at her. He shook his head and took a deep breathe to clam himself, the last thing he needed to do was kill the girl. Especially since she was probably just looking after him the way Marie would want her to. "Look… If all I get with her is one more minute, just one second…. I want to be here for it." With that said he picked up Marie's hand once again and placed it on his face just to feel her touch, to reassure him she was steal there warm, and feel her pulse beating.

Jubilee looked at him feeling she had somehow failed Rogue. If she knew Logan wouldn't completely hate her for it, if not flat out kill her, she would convince Hank to have him kicked out of the room. "I know you want to be here for her Logan, I know how much you love her, and I also know I can't willingly get you to go home with me. So…. I'll make a deal with you ok. I will go get you a change of clothes, a nice hot meal… No, no don't you even start growling and glaring before you hear me out… anyways like I was saying, clothes, dinner, and I will bring it back here for you. And while you take a shower, eat, and then get some sleep in the room next door… I will sit with Rogue… and if she so much as twitches I will let you know… deal?" she asked with her hand now stretched out awaiting his acceptance.

"Will it get you off my back for a couple of days, if I say yes?" Logan asked now looking at the pushy girl with his left eyebrow slightly raised.

"Ok… yeah, sure why not?" Jubilee replied, not really meaning it, lowering her hand. Jubilee then headed for the door.

"Fine." Logan answered, returning his gaze back to Marie.

"Good I will be back in a little while then." Jubilee then walked out the door with a smile on her face, she may not have had things turn out like she had planed but she had gotten her way none the less, and now Rogue's big bad was taken care of.

It hadn't take Jubilee long to run out to Logan and Rogues place grab some clothes, swing by the kitchen pick up some food, and get it back to him. Probably a little to fast for the wolverine's taste since she still had to fight him to leave to the next room and take the shower and nap he had promised her when he had finally finished eating his food. But Hank had just confirmed that he was out like a light in the next room so her mission would be completed once he woke up and was back in here. Well completed for that day anyways, because unless sleeping beauty here woke up in the next few days she would have to come back and do it all over again. Then hearing the door open behind her Jubilee rolled her eyes and stood ready to inform Logan that a nap in her book was at least two hours not thirty minutes, only to become speechless when she turned around to find Scott standing at the door instead of whom she expected it to be. "What the hell are you doing here Mr. Summers?" she said more out of confusion than shock. She didn't get it; the man had dumped Rogue like a hot potato as soon as he heard the news about Jean, and then processed to act as if nothing had ever happened between the two of them. Why should he care, when he had pretty much proven how much he didn't.

"I wanted to see Ma… Rogue. I haven't really had the chance with Logan in here twenty-four, seven. So…" Scott answered her without giving her a glance, his eyes had been focused on Marie from the second he had walked through the doors and he could take them off her now. He hadn't come here to see her, he was only giving some papers to Hank that the Professor had asked him to drop off on his way to the danger room. But when he paused to look at her through the window and found that Logan was gone he couldn't stop himself from going inside. Seeing her now, he understood why Jean had stopped reporting to him who she was. She was so pale that there was hardly any color at all, she was thinner, and her breathing was now supported by oxygen since it was so sallow. She was dying. How, how could this be happening, how could a person so full of life as Marie had been, have so little left?

"Look I hate to be rude, well that actually that's not true. But Logan is just next door and he is going be royally pissed at me if he finds out that I let you in here. So if you don't mind…." She didn't know why but she couldn't do it, she couldn't make him leave. Maybe it was the way he was just watching Rogue, maybe it was the look of sadness and heartache that had taken over his face just second ago. Or maybe it was because she knew her best friend would have wanted him here. Regardless she couldn't bring herself to kick him out of the room, so instead she opted to give the two of them some time alone. So that way if Logan came walking in to see him here she would at least have a running start to the Professor office while One eye was ripped to bits. "I'm… I'm uhh… going to go and get something to drink, let you have some time with her. Only under one condition though, and that is you have to be gone by the time I get back ok…Okay." Jubes asked as she headed towards to door after getting a nod of agreement out of him. "Wolfman is so going to kill me." She whispered to herself as she walked out of the med lab to make her way to the kitchen.

Scott slowly walked over to the side of the bed so that he could be closer to her; he then ran a finger down her pale cheek and then back up to push a stand of her platinum hair off her brow. "Hey beautiful, Sorry I haven't been here sooner." But that wasn't all he was sorry for; it was for so much more than just not sitting here by her side, the way he knew she would have been for him. But for all the other pain he had caused her over the past two months. "You remember Ms. Murphy, you know the old lady with the dog you encysted on stopping and talking every morning when we went for our run." Scott stated rambling as he took the seat next to her. Taking her hand in his he lifted it to his lips and laid a gentle lingering kiss on her fingers as he remember the way Marie would always have to stop and play with the dog as she talked to the lady. She loved that dog, had always gone on and on about wanting one just like it Scott though as let the memories bring a smile to his face. "I saw her this morning, she said to let you know you're in her prayers, and that she misses talking to you… She isn't the only one who misses you that's for sure… I know I do…but I miss more than just talking to you… I miss everything… I miss seeing you swallowed in one of my shirts when I would come into our room at night… I miss watching those 70's dances you used to do just to get me to smile… waking up to hear you singing in the shower in the mornings… listening to you laugh… seeing you smile… Christ I miss you so much it hurts… I keep thinking that, one morning I will wake up and it will stop… this pain of not having you in my life anymore… Sometimes I even pray for it… But the truth is… the truth is… I long for you touch… I haunted by your smile… I can't erase you… I don't want… I love you Marie… I love you and I want you back in my arms…" Scott said with tears now falling trying his best not to brake out in the sobs the were threatening to take over him as he laid his face next to hers and brushed his lips ever so lightly across her cheek. Then whispering in her ear he continued. "You have to listen to me now, ok doll. You have to open your eyes and come back to me ok. Because I can go on living without you anymore, and you have to be here so I win you back. So open your eyes and come back to me. It will be the last thing I ever ask of you baby, I promise. Just come back to me beautiful."

"Mmmmm…." Marie moaned, causing Scott's head to snap up in attention. Scott couldn't believe it his eyes wide with disbelief he immediately griped Marie's hand tighter as he looked at her face waiting to do something else so that he could prove to himself he wasn't going crazy and he had really just heard her make a noise. After a long moment Scott closed his eyes behind his red glasses and rubbed his forehead with his free hand, maybe he was going crazy. Then he felt her hand tighten around his and his eyes looked down to watch her fingers bend around his. He brought his gaze once more to her face and willed her to open her eyes and look back at him, so he could look into those warm chocolate brown eyes that he always got lost in.

"Scott." Marie tried to get out but the word just wouldn't come, it hurt so much to even try but she had to. She struggled even harder just to open her eyes, she felt so weak that is like she had a set of weights on each eyelid. Finally she managed to crack them open, and the light burned her eyes as a pain shot through her head, and she quickly shut then once again and held them closed tight for a moment before trying for a second time. And when she heard him softly say her name, god how she loved the sound of his voice, she tried even harder to open them.

Scott seen her month his name and the moment she cracked her eyes he felt pleasure that he never knew was possible. "Marie… Marie, baby… it's… it's ok, I'm right here…don't push your self… oh god, thank you…" Scott laid his head in the curve of her neck and kissed her collarbone lightly, and when he felt her hand in his hair, he couldn't help but let more tears fall. He put his arm across her waist and position himself so he could see her face. She was looking up at him now and couldn't tear his gaze away for the brown orbs he never thought he would see again. Scott bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You are not ever allowed to do this to me again, do you understand me Marie?" he stated as he pushed a strand of hair from her face, and you could hear from the tone in his voice that he wasn't joking but quite serious. "I love you to much to lose you like this now." Scott said affectionately as he remembered the very first time Sam had told him she loved him where in those exact words.

From the doorway Logan stood fuming at what he saw before him, Scott was sitting there placing his lips on her, his Marie, and it was taking every single bit of strength that Logan had not to go in there and gave Scooter a few extra holes to add to the one he was born with. As he was about to go in and do just that he felt her standing behind him and then heard her say to him words that seemed to tempting to turn down.

"I can make her love you." Jean said as she looked at the same sight that Logan's gaze was fixed on. If there was anyone who would understand that she could lose Scott, it was Logan, because if she lost Scott he would lose his dear Marie. And that was something he was willing to fight for, the same as Jean herself was willing to fight for Scott. And since they were pretty much on the same team, maybe it was time the fought together.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

The words flooded around in Logan's head, as he watched Scooter lean down and whisper in his Marie's ear. To win Marie's love was one thing but to invade her mind in order to win that love was quite another. No, what he wanted was for One Eye to keep his fucking hands off of her, hadn't he already hurt her enough by leaving. Now look at him standing there next to her placing kisses on her neck and forehead, giving her hope that he might come back to her again, Christ he is just going to hurt her even more and that means Logan will have to wait even longer be more patience while her heart heels from this new hurt. Logan tried to focus as he ran a hand through his wild hair and turned to look at Jean, who was awaiting his answer with a hopeful look in her face. He looked around quickly and then grabbed her by the arm and guided her to the room next to Marie's, the same room he had been napping in only a few moments ago. Once inside the room he shut the door behind them and locked it to ensure that no one would walk in on the conversation they were about to have. Finally after taking a deep breath doing his best to clam his anger about what was going in the next room, he found himself asking in quite a harsh tone a question that he already knew the answer to. "What do you mean you can make her love me, Jeannie?"

"Logan, look I know what it must sound like, but you have to understand, Rogue and Scott, what they had together wasn't just some little fling. They grew close to one another, they relied on each other, and they built love from that. So if you think that by you just coming back and putting a little distance between the two will make her forget him and have her loving you again, you are sadly mistaken. Trust me I know." She ranted to Logan as her eyes filled with tears, not realizing what she had just reviled to him.

"So, you're telling me that your boy scout in there is still in love with Marie." Logan said as he took a sit in a chair not far from Jean, she was hurt, it was killing her the same way it was killing him to know that the people they loved did not love them anymore. Yet, still she didn't want to let Scott go any more than Logan wanted to live without his Marie. Still why the hell would she offer to do this for Logan, was she truly that scared that Scott wanted to be with Marie, and if that were true why the hell did Scott choose to leave Marie in the first place? Then it hit him, what if Scott hadn't chosen to leave Marie, what if Jean… "And have you been making him love you?" Logan found himself asking.

"NO, No Logan I haven't not been making Scott love me… what the… Scott already loves me… Scott has ALWAYS loved ME, ok… I am just reminding him of that… don't you see I am just helping him remember his love for me, him loving me has never been in question, because he will always love." Jean all but yelled at him, trying more to convince herself than Logan. She took a seat beside him to try and stop her now spinning head and took a couple of breaths before she continued pleading with Logan to fight with her for the ones they loved. "Logan, I know… I know you love Rogue as much as I love Scott… we were all happy once right… me and Scott, you and Rogue… that's the way it is suppose to be… we were all happy with that life, and all I am trying to do is get us back there again. So we can all be loved, so we can all be happy. I am not trying to hurt anybody here… just, just give me a little help and we all can be happy again, the way we used to be. You will, you will help me won't you Logan?" Jean begged as she took on of Logan's hand into her own. "We can do it Logan; if you just help we can fix everything."

"I will do anything to win back Marie's heart, but I won't let you play with her head. She has enough to deal with already up there, I'm sorry Jeannie I really am but I can't do that to Marie… I just can't." He stated looking Jean straight in the face.

"So you're not going to fight for her, your just going to give up like a coward and let her go…" Jean started rambling a frustration as she stood to her feet again, only to be cut off by a very pissed off Wolverine.

"Listen here bicth, I never… Never said that I wasn't going to fight for her, I'm just not as twisted and sick as you are to fuck with Marie's head. You see I happen to love her too much to do that to her. But give her up, no fucking way; I'm not going to lose her." Logan shouted at Jean finally snapping when he realized that he had a real fight coming, one that he could lose, one that was going to hurt Marie even more than she had already been hurt.

"If that is true Logan, then help me. If you don't want me in her head, fine. But you know there are other ways, to keep them apart." Jean stated in desperation, she needed Logan's help and if they had to do it another way so be it.

As much as Logan hated to admit it she had caught his attention. When in a battle it was always best to have some one covering your back, and there was that saying that kept ringing through his head, all is fair in love and war. And this just happened to be both. Yet a promise kept screaming at him in the back of his head that what he was doing was wrong.

_Flash Back_

"_I'll take care of you."_

"_You Promise?"_

"_Yeah… yeah I promise."_

_End Flash Back_

Logan didn't know what to do he was torn between loving her and protecting her. Yet it all came down to was Marie, and the fact that he didn't want to live with out her. Hell, maybe it was time he really started fighting instead of just waiting. With that thought in mind Logan finally conceded, "Fine, I'm listening." Was all he could bring himself to say, knowing that this was wrong, so very wrong.

"Ok… well, here is what we are going to do." Jean said as she started conjuring and relaying her new way for them to both keep there loved one's with them where they belonged.

Jubilee walked back into the medical lab with a diet coke firm in her hand as she headed back to Marie's room. Upon entering the medical lab she looked up her mouth dropped, the idiot was still there and Rogue was running her fingers through his hair as he was bent over place kisses on her face. What a stupid fuck tard, if Logan where to see him doing that he would be a…. Oh shit, Logan he is just in the next room and she is suppose to… damn it, Rogue is awake… son of a bicth she is so going to die a slow and very painful death if she didn't get lover boy out of there and now…. What to do, what to do… HANK… yes Hank will run everyone out of there if he knows Rogue is awake and once Scott is gone she can go tell Wolvie the good news and still stay happy, alive, and unmarred. As fast as her feet could carry her Jubilee run to the office and yelled at Hank. "She's awake." Then she made a run for Rogues room with Hank close on her heels.

Marie brought her hand to rest on his cheek and very hoarsely spoke to him. "I need… I need you to know." Was all she could get out before the pain become too much, her throat was dry and itchy, and it felt like a thousand tiny needles sticking in her when she tried to talk. Not to mention the constant pain in on the right slid of her throat, she lifted her hand to it and touched it lightly as she remembered the events that had brought her here. She was the one that had been shot; she was the one who had almost lost her life. No wonder Scott was sitting here saying these things, he felt guilty. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as they filled with tears, when she realized that he had only said the things he had just now out of guilt. Not because it was her that he wanted and loved more, yet at this moment she didn't want to think about it, she didn't care if it was real or not. She was home, home with the man she loved, and even if it was just for this moment she was going to cherish it. She wasn't going to fool herself she knew, that even though the things that Scott had just said to her were true, and so what if he was still with Jean. It couldn't hurt if she pretended for a little while, just for a little small time that he was still hers and that she was the love of his life, that she was still going to marry him, that Jean had never come back to resume her place in his life.

Scott knew he should call either Hank or Jean into the room but he couldn't bring himself to leave her side in fear that it would all be a dream and he would wake up or that she would slip back into the coma. Just then he heard the door to the room open and turned to see Jubilee walk in with Hank.

"Well, so you have finally returned to the land of the living my dear. I can't tell how wonderful it is to see those eyes of yours open." Hank said as she came to stand on the opposite side of the bed from Scott, Hank patted her hand and then looked at the other two as he began speaking again. "If the two of you don't mind I would like to exam Rogue. You can wait outside and come back in when I am finished." He then gestured towards the door with his hand.

Scott didn't want to leave her, but he knew that he must, it was what was best for her for the moment. As soon as that damn check-up, exam what ever you want to call it was done, he was going right back by her side where he belonged, the place he should have never left to begin with. He had no idea how he was going to tell Jean it was over and what was funny was that he didn't even care that much. Then as he and Jubilee where making their way to the doors the very person he needed to talk to walked in accompanied by the one person Scott had no desire to see. And as sure as the sun rises in the morning Logan was at Marie side kissing her hand, running his fingers through her hair. Scott wanted so badly to just blow him to bits then and there, but with Jean now in front of him no longer giving him a clean shot, he would just have deal with it, for now. But as soon as he was done informing Jean that things between them were over and he had Marie back in his arms, if Logan ever had the idea of laying a finger on her again the rest of the X-Men would be picking up pieces of him off the floor.

"Oh, Scott there you are. You know I have been looking all over for you, I have the most wonderful news." Jean said happily with a bright smile that could have lit up the room. She then took Scott's hand in hers and kissed the back of it and lower it again as she started pulling him out of the room. "Come on I can't wait to tell you."

As soon as they were out the door Scott all but ripped his hand out of Jean's and stopped dead in his tracks. "Jean, what the hell is going on?"

"I have some really good news I want to tell you… Scott what is it what's wrong?" Jean asked pretending not to know that he didn't want to leave his sweet Marie alone for a second with Logan.

"Look, whatever you have to say. Just tell me now, I really would like to see how Rogue's examination is going to end up, he said as he took a step back towards the door and looked through the window. And he watched as Logan talked with Marie as he heard the words that hit with a force so hard it almost knocked him over.

"Scott… I think I'm pregnant." Jean said as the smile increased on her face.

"Logan, what's wrong?" Marie asked in her soft southern voice. He had been acting strangely quite ever since Hank had finished his exam, and Marie was really starting to worry about him.

"Marie… you know I love you right… If there is one thing I want you to know it's that I love you…" Logan confessed as he took a seat next to her, and ran a finger down her cheek to only to hook under her chin. He looked into those eyes and he was lost in them, he was always at a loss when it came to Marie. Slowly he bent his head and met her soft lips with his. It was simple, sweet, loving nothing more than his lips on hers and it was at the moment he knew what a selfish bastard he was being. He loved her, and yet he had been planning to hurt her, something he had sworn to himself he would never do again. He couldn't do it, he couldn't hurt her again.

"Your leaving aren't you?" She asked in barely a whisper with her forehead resting against his lips still only mere inches apart, her heart starting to fill that old ache, the same way it had always hurt where he had left before.

"I have to darlin'… I have to before I… he… he loves you Marie… and even with as much as I love and want you to be my own… I can't… I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you again baby… so even if it means…" Logan said in a mere whisper as his heart started to fill with a pain greater than he had ever known, his hands lifted and framed her face as his thumbs softly rubbed her cheeks in slow circles. She was his world and he had to let her go before he destroy the light in her that made her shine so bright. He had done enough damage to her, and if he had never left her she would be his. But things were different and his promise to protect her was all that echoed in his head now, he needed to protect her from him self, his own personal agenda. "Even if it means your with the one prick I hate most in this world… I won't stand in your way."

"I'm so sorry Logan… I do love you, I just…" Marie started as the ache in her heart increased and the tears begin to fall down her face.

"Don't… say it… just promise me… promise me that you'll never forget the love we had… or that you will always be my heart…" Logan stated cutting her off, he didn't have to say it, because he knew that she knew he was never coming back this time. This was it, this was the last time they would ever, look, hold, or touch. Then rising slowly from the bed Logan walk turned his back to and walked briskly to the door, he paused only for a moment before he walked out of her life to say "I love you Marie."

"Good-bye Logan." She said as she buried her head in her pillow and cried.

As much as Logan hurt all he wanted to do was leave this damn place behind and never look back, but he had one last stop to make before he could go pack his things to never return. He turned the corner to see the person he had been tracking, the taking a deep breath as he leaned against the frame of the door and cleared his throat.

Scott turned around to see Logan standing in the door way of his and Jean's room, fuck he really didn't need this now. Especially after what Jean had just sprung on him. "What the hell do you want Logan?" He asked as he turned back around to gaze out the window.

"Only to tell you two things, boy scout and than I will be on my way." Logan replied, half way tempted to change his mind and go back to Marie and play his part in Jean's little plan, at the sight of the cocky little prick.

"Let me guess, one is stay away from Marie and two is if I don't your going to rip in a new one right." Scott said sarcastically.

"Actually, no but if it's what you'd rather hear I then…" Logan started as he began to walk away, only to be stopped by Scott's voice.

"Fine, Logan what is it." Scott questioned already wanting this conversation over and done with.

"Ok, I don't want to be here any more than you want me here. So I am going to make this short and sweet." Logan said as he again took his spot leaning against the frame of the door.

"A little late for that don't you think." Scott said as he took a seat on the edge of the bed and ran his finger through his hair.

Logan gritted his teeth and decided to let that one slid and get this the hell over with. "Just fucking listen and shut the fuck up ok. One, Jean is lying to you. She isn't pregnant; she has been fucking with your head ever since she got back, "making you remember your love for her" is how she put it. And two, I leaving, you won… again. Marie loves you… but know this if you hurt her when all of this is said and done I will kill you." With that said Logan was done, and he made his way down the hall and out of the mansion forever, leaving Scott speechless sitting on the bed.

**Author's Note: First I am sorry about how long it had taken to get this chapter up, my little girl has been very sick. Two I want to say sorry ahead of time I know this chapter kind of skips around quite bit but I felt it was really time to start to get to back to Scott and Rogue I was really starting to miss them and we all know it wouldn't happen with Logan there. Next chapter is going to be a good one too, Scott has a little talk with Jean, Hehehe...Now with that said I all hope that you enjoyed the story and thank you all so much for the reviews they really keep me going. Love and Light Mechelle VanPatten**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Authors Note: Yes I know it has been awhile. Anyhow here is the next chapter for all of you who still want to read it. Thanks to all of you how have review I really enjoy reading you comments.**

**Never Forgotten – Chapter Fourteen**

Scott sat there on the bed for what seemed like hours as the past months since Jean had returned home played through his mind. After all they had shared, through all the years and love he had given her, how could she mess with his mind, his thoughts, his feelings like that. It was in that moment that he lost what little love he had left for the woman that was once his entire world.

"Scott honey, what wrong." Jean asked as she walked over to her vanity mirror and take a seat in front of it, and started brushing her hair.

Scott head snapped up at the sound of her voice, he had been so lost in the thoughts of her treachery, that he hadn't even heard her come into their room. Then in a clam tone he stated sarcastically "You're the one who's been in charge of that area lately, so why don't you tell me what's wrong with me."

Jean froze as she head the conversation Scott had just had with Logan fill her head. How could he that bastard, did he realize what he had just done, not just to her but to himself. Jean swallowed hard her mouth suddenly dry as she turned in her chair to face Scott. "Scott… I …" was all she could get out before Scott was up off the bed and right in front of her cutting her off with his own choice of words.

"Why Jean… why would you…" Scott paused in mid sentence as he watched her stand and look at the door on the other side of the room. "Oh, no you don't. You're not leaving until I get some answers Jean. So you had better start talking." Scott said low and angry as he took a hold of her arm.

"Scott please it's… not, it's not what you think… you see… Marie…" Jean started to explain in between sobs.

Scott immediately let go her as if the very touch of her skin seemed to burn his hands, when she said Marie's name. She was going to try and blame this on Marie of all people, did she really think he was that stupid. Marie had never done anything but step aside for Jean to take her place back here at the mansion and for the first time in his life Scott was actually tempted to hit a woman. "Don't you dare, use Marie for an accuse Jean." Scott warned as he walked away from her not trusting himself to be within arms length of her.

"I'm not, I swear… I just want to explain… please, would you just listen to me." She cried as she stood in the middle of their room where he had left her. At a lost for words she walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders and decided it was time, that maybe, she try the truth. "I just wanted you to love…me. To love me the way you used to… not her."

When he felt her hands on his arms, he automatically tensed up but didn't turn around. He couldn't look at her, how could she, how could she let him believe all of those things she had put into his head. That is was too late, that Marie didn't love him anymore, that he could never make Marie happy. He had given Jean everything, his heart, his soul, his smile, he had opened up to her and trusted her with things that he had to no one. Then when she had come back he had given up everything that he had with Marie for her to make sure she was happy. In a taut voice he warned her "You know what's funny about all this is, I did love you. However right now, if I were you, I would really consider staying away from me for you own safety."

"Scott… please this is a lot more complicated than..." was all she got out as Scott walked past her and straight to the door.

"Is it, well then let me uncomplicate it for you… Get out." He got his answer that was all he needed. It hadn't matter to Jean that he had broken his and Marie's heart in order to make her happy and give her what love he did have for her, no that wasn't good enough, she wanted all of him. So she had betrayed him, and played with his heart and mind, all because she couldn't accept the fact the Scott had truly loved another.

"What." Jean choked out. Never would she have ever thought that she would hear Scott telling her to leave. He had always stayed right beside her no matter how hard things had gotten, no matter how bad it seemed, he had never failed to stay and work things out. Now she could hardly breathe, he wasn't even asking her to leave, he was ordering it. "No… I told you… it this isn't what you…"

Scott then walked over to her and grabbed her by arm, and pulled her unwilling to the door. He didn't even care that she was begging, crying, and pleading as he opened the door and pushed her out of it, then without even a final look at her he slammed the door shut and locked it into place. Leaning his back against the door he listened to her, as his heart sank for all the pain he had caused Marie, all for this.

"Scott… Please don't do this…. Scott…" Marie screamed as she pounded on the door. "Please…" she cried as she hit the door one last time before sinking to her knees and started cry uncontrollable. Where was she going to go, what was she going to do now.

"Dr. Grey, are you alright, is there anything I can do?" Warren questioned now standing above her; he still couldn't believe that he had just witnessed Scott throwing her out.

"No, no… I'm fine. I can take care of myself." Jean said as she stood, she walked to the elevator, pressed the button and then stared at the door to Scott's room, what used to be their room. When the door open she got in and took a deep breathe, hoping that she wouldn't be turned away from where she was about to go.

_**The Next Morning **_

Marie woke the next morning with Scott holding her tight and she took a minute to cherish the feeling of being in his arms. She nuzzled her head into the curve of his neck, enjoying the scent of him. He smelt like Kenneth Cole Black, which surprised that he still wore because it was the cologne she had gotten him for Christmas last year. Marie then looked up with a puzzled face after feeling Scott kiss the top of her head, what did he think he was doing with Jean running around here. If she were to walk in on them like this she would have a heart attack. Then Marie felt his thumb rubbing the back of her hand and she really didn't care anymore.

"Hey." She sighed delicately.

"How are you feeling?" He asked running a finger down her cheek. He didn't know how she might be feeling on the inside but she certainly looked a hundred times better, her color was back, and her glow was once again lighting up the world. It had been two days since Marie had come out of the coma, and although she start had to wearing her bracelet again to turn off her powers Hank had promised Scott it wouldn't take Marie to long to heal and be on her way home, really to only reason she was still there is because she had lost quite a bit of weight and had to regain her strength.

Marie looked him over, and then without thanking she moved her lips to press against his. Then gradually as she deepened the kiss, she felt him push her away. She looked at him with a sad look upon her face understanding what he was doing. How could she have been so stupid, he was with Jean. He wasn't hers anymore, hadn't been for awhile now.

"Easy, ok… you are still really weak Marie… and I… I not am taking any chances right now… you need to slow down… rest and" Scott explained, more for himself than for her, until being cut-off by Marie trying to defending herself.

"Scott, I was only playing around, it's ok really. Think of it as me just saying good morning." Marie said innocent and sweetly giving herself and Scott and easy out from the kiss she had just planted on him.

"Trust me Marie, you were saying something, and it wasn't good morning." He stated sliding out of the bed, with a slight smirk on his face, thinking now would be a good time for a cold shower. It wasn't just the way Marie kissed him that had sent him into a frenzy, although it was enough, it was merely having her there in his arms, waking up to her lips brushing across his neck, things like that seemed to fuel him much more than he was accustomed to. Especially after being so petrified he would never feel her touch, hear her voice, or see her smile again. He had taken for granted what he used to consider those trivial moments. However he knew now that there was nothing insignificant with any of the time he was given to be with her, every second was now a blessing good or bad, he would appreciate it all.

"Look, I'm sorry... I crossed the line with what I just did, and I know that you and Jean are happy, I just I don't know…" Marie began rambling on her apologies with her eyes downcast as she shifted herself into a sitting position.

"Marie, stop… you have nothing to be… MARIE I SAID STOP…" Scott yelled finally getting her attention and thankfully her silent along with it. Scott ran a hand through his hair and turn to face her. He turned back and took a seat next to her on the bed. "As I was saying you have nothing to be sorry for, and I would be just as much to blame as for kissing you back. But you see the thing is Jean and I… well we're over."

"You're what?" Marie asked with her big brown eyes staring at Scott in confusion.

"That's right I kicked Jean out of my room last night. But we can talk about that later, ok. Right now… I just… I need to ask you something… I know, I screwed up, I made a mistake not trusting in the love we had, and ever since the day you left me… I've been living in hell." Scott then moved one of his hands up her arm and underneath her chin to lift her eyes to his. "Even after you left… you were still with me, every where I went you were there. Being in our room was the worst, every night I would open the door and look around expecting to see you there, and every night that you weren't… I…" Scott paused a moment and swallowed hard, he had never opened up to anyone the way he had Marie. Even though he hated reliving the pain he felt being without her, he knew this was something that needed to be said. "I still have your ring, I couldn't get raid of it, because then… then you would have been completely gone. So instead I wore it, and in some strange way it made me feel like you were with me… Anyhow the point is… I love you, Marie. I never stopped loving you…And I know I may have ruined any chance of you loving me again, but I going to warn you, that there is no way I am leaving here without you back in my arms."

"Scott, you…" Marie started to protest, but this time Scott cut her words short yet again. When his lips met hers, her mind went blank as she gave into to the passion that started coursing through her. She didn't care any more why or how he was here. It only mattered that he was here, with her, and that he loved her. The kiss was a gentle one full of love and wanting, and when they parted there was only one question left she had for her love.

"So, when do I get to move back in?"

Scott kissed her lips letting his actions speak to her instead of words. Everything about her was so familiar yet, felt new some how. He couldn't seem to take his hands out of her hair. It had been one of the many things he had loved about her, and to feel the silkiness of it running through his fingers again caused unexplainable feelings. She was back in his arms, she was his, and this time nothing or no one could ever make him let go of her again.


End file.
